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Letter: Beware of Carbon Monoxide Dangers on Yomtov

We received the following letter from a CrownHeights.info reader, who had a close call with carbon monoxide poisoning after leaving his stove on over three days of Yomtov. Carbon monoxide (or CO) is an odorless gas that is often a byproduct of burning natural gas. It can be deadly if inhaled in high concentrations.

This past Shabbos morning (the third day of the “three day Yomtov”), I was awakened by the sound of the carbon monoxide alarm announcing high levels of CO.

We immediately cleared everyone out of the house and summoned the fire department.

When they arrived, they informed me that the high concentration of carbon monoxide was due to leaving the stove and oven on over Yomtov and Shabbos. The buildup of these dangerous fumes was not due to a faulty gas line or leaking appliances, but rather to the lack of adequate ventilation. The constant burning of the gas range and oven – even on a low flame – will, over time, emit unhealthy and even dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide.

I was told that the fire department was tending to many such calls over the last few days. The firemen implored me to please tell the rabbis and announce to the community that if people need to leave on the stove or oven over the holidays, they must ensure that the area is properly ventilated. Turning on an exhaust fan or even opening the kitchen window can help prevent a terrible calamity.

I would also like to stress the importance of a carbon monoxide detector. They are not expensive and often come together with the smoke alarm. I do not want to think what our Shabbos would have been like had we not had the alarm – especially since the gas rises upward and the levels upstairs where everyone was sleeping were much higher.

I have been told that in some communities there are public announcements to alert people to take the necessary precautions, so I would like to implement the same custom here in Crown Heights.

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7 Comments

  • REMOVE THE BLECH

    Having a Blech on top of the flame makes it even worse as it restricts the oxygen getting to the flame, which causes CO.
    Lift up the Blech when not in use.

    And NEVER ignore the alarm of a CO detector. Its very easy to convince yourself that all is fine as you don’t sense anything wrong.

    Read some of the reviews of these devices on amazon. An alarm went off in the middle of the night and person was going to remove the battery and ignore the alarm and fire man told her if she would have gone back to sleep, SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER AGAIN WOKEN UP!

    Spend the $30 NOW and protect your family.

  • happened to me too

    Baruch Hashem my downstairs neighbor heard my CO alarm go off on a regular shabbos (not even 3-day yom tov), and banged on my door till I woke up. I was too groggy to even hear it.
    Firemen came in at 2 am, and told me to leave the kitchen window open a crack if I was going to have a blech over the stove.
    The CO alarm saved my life. Please buy one today for every level of your home.

  • Faivel M. Chandler

    Given the dangers posed by gas burners left on during Yom Tov, the risk of CO poisoning and that of fire, maybe we should consider the opinion of Rabbi Avraham Blumenkrantz OBM, author of the highly regarded Kovetz Hilchos Pesach: “gas ovens or stoves may be lowered or shut off for some Yom Tov need (even if it is not needed for cooking.” The preservation of life seems to be ample justification for turning down or shutting off burners no longer needed, thus reducing the hazards of excess BTU’s and CO prevalent on Yom Tov.

  • Anon a moose

    The letter was written by the Rabbinical Council of America. The importance and seriousness is still the same