CLARKSBURG, W.Va. A 10-year-old Clarksburg boy is being called a hero after saving his family from carbon monoxide poisoning this week.
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, the boy was awake playing video games while six other family members slept.
The young man heard ringing, which he thought was part of the game, but quickly realized it was an alarm coming from the lower level of the home.
After the family awakened, they checked the carbon monoxide detector and changed the batteries. However, an alert continued from another carbon monoxide detector, so the family called 911.
An investigation traced the source of the carbon monoxide to a pool heater that was allowing the deadly gas into the basement of the home.
Breathing high levels of CO causes flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, weakness, and even death in a matter of minutes.