Florissant Mom Saves Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning on Mother's Day

A mom was given the ultimate gift Sunday. She saved her family from a fatal situation.

Florissant Police said a woman called for help upon finding family members unresponsive in their beds, according to STLtoday.com.

She said she too was feeling nauseous. The call came through dispatch just before 8 a.m. 

Police responded to the 3500 block of Stonehaven Dr., and said the mother and six people in the home, were exposed to elevated levels of carbon monoxide, according to KMOV.

The police department, along with Florissant Valley Fire Protection District, found the woman carrying children out of the home.

The victims ranged in age from less than 1 years old to 44, police said. All were conscious and responsive before being taken to area hospitals via ambulance, officials said.

Firefighters said they think carbon monoxide began leaking into the house because the attic fan was running and the windows were closed, which caused the exhaust from the furnace to be pulled back into the house.

Deputy Chief Rick Ruhmann of the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District told KMOV the mother said she remembered getting up in the night to turn on the furnace because the house had grown cool overnight. He also said she may not have known the attic fan was still on, or that the windows were closed.

Officer Andy Haarmann, with the Florissant Police Department, said the home did not have a carbon monoxide detector.

Ruhmann told KTVI all of the victims were expected to recover after receiving extensive oxygen treatment at area hospitals.