Carbon monoxide warning over ash from stoves

Image source, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Image caption, CO readings over 70 parts per million indicate a potentially life-threatening situation

Firefighters are warning people not to keep ash from wood-burning stoves inside because of the danger of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

It follows an incident in Newton Abbot on Saturday when a CO alarm went off, but the log burner had "zero readings".

Crews discovered the colourless, odourless and tasteless gas was coming from a bucket of ash in the lounge.

Embers in the bucket gave off potentially-lethal readings of 378 parts per million (ppm).

Health effects from exposure to CO levels of approximately 1 to 70 ppm are uncertain, but as levels increase and remain above 70 ppm, symptoms including headaches, fatigue and nausea will become more noticeable and can become life-threatening within three hours.

"The occupier empties the old ash from the log burner into the bucket regularly but does not take it outside until its full," .

"The embers were producing CO into the lounge which caused the CO alarm to sound - luckily for this person they had an alarm."