26 Feb 2013
Three family members died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a caravan park in Cornwall, investigators have said.
The bodies of John Cook, 90, his wife Audrey, 86, and their 46-year-old daughter Maureen were discovered on Saturday afternoon. It is believed they had been using a heater to warm themselves at Tremarle Home Park, Camborne, as there were freezing conditions in the region overnight, and it is understood there was no working carbon monoxide detector, or adequate ventilation, in the static caravan.
An early reading from experts at the site registered a potentially lethal level of carbon monoxide present within the caravan shortly after the discovery was made, but the actual cause of death has yet to be determined. Police and fire crew investigations are continuing.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service’s, Mark Pratten explained: “Carbon monoxide was at an extremely high level. A significant dose such as this would have been fatal. The investigation is continuing, but it would appear that the people inside the home would have slipped into unconsciousness within a few minutes (of the leak). They would then go into a comatose state very quickly.”
Mr Pratten added that the Cooks would have died “very swiftly” after falling unconscious if, as expected, carbon monoxide poisoning was officially responsible for their deaths.
Copyright Press Association 2013