Earlier this year, a fatal carbon monoxide (CO) exposure incident in a Castlegar home resulted in the tragic death of a tenant and the homeowner being taken to hospital with severe symptoms of CO poisoning.
Jenna Beauchamp, the fiancé of the man who died, shares what others can learn from this tragedy by advocating for better CO awareness so renters and landlords know how to protect themselves from this deadly gas.
Why is CO safety so important to you?
I never imagined CO would touch my world, but it took the love of my life, my fiancé Michael, overnight. We were building a future together — dreaming of buying our first home, starting a family, and creating a lifetime of memories. Then one night, everything changed.
We lived in our rental suite for over four years. Unfortunately, like many people, we didn’t know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and we didn’t have a carbon monoxide alarm. The night before the incident, I was saying goodnight, I love you, and a few hours later, he was gone. If we had known how to protect ourselves, Michael would still be here.
Losing Michael shattered my world. He was my best friend, my rock, and the one who always showed up for me. I’m learning to move forward, supported by loved ones, but I’m forever changed. Michael was a blessing, and I will carry his light with me always.
I will honor him by advocating for CO safety and encouraging others to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Leading up to the incident, what symptoms did you and Michael experience?
We both felt fatigued, had bad headaches, and occasional nausea. I also experienced severe dizziness and light headedness leading up to the incident. At the time, we had no idea what was happening and didn’t have the knowledge to connect any of it to CO. Hours before the incident our cats were sick. We had no idea that pets can show signs of CO exposure before humans.
This is why it’s so important for people to learn the symptoms and take precautions to protect their homes.
What do you want people to learn from your experience?
I want people to know how to detect and protect themselves from CO to keep their loved ones and homes safe. This includes:
- Knowing the sources of CO. Gas appliances like furnaces, boilers, hot water tanks, stoves, dryers, fireplaces, and portable heaters can cause CO exposure if they are not properly maintained, incorrectly installed, or used incorrectly.
- Installing a carbon monoxide alarm. This simple, affordable precaution can save your life.
- Symptoms in humans can be like a cold or flu and include headaches, dizziness, vomiting, confusions, weakness, and chest pain.
- Symptoms in pets can include irritable behaviour, drowsiness, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and intolerance to usual exercise or resisting to enter the house after being outside.
- If you think you’ve been exposed to CO, get everyone, including pets, outside of the home and call 911. Wait for emergency services to confirm it’s safe to re-enter the home.
- If you rent, ask your landlord if your unit has a CO alarm and about annual gas appliance servicing.
Landlords have a legal responsibility under the Gas Safety Regulation to maintain gas equipment in a safe condition and keep accurate records of all maintenance and servicing performed.
Learn more about the causes of carbon monoxide exposure and life-saving precautions you can take.
If a gas appliance in your home is not functioning properly or if you observe a hazard or potential safety risk, report it to us.
