LUCKY 7 Five children and their parents rescued after collapsing in barbecue fumes riddle
BARBECUE RIDDLE AS ENTIRE FAMILY ARE OVERCOME BY FUMES AFTER SUNDAY SUPPER
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miss services Exactlyis unclear,raced what to but causedthe the family emergencythe homenear after Paramedicsa 999 call. and firefighters found the at familythe house slumpedin the semiconscious Fossway, Walker, Newcastle, on Sunday night.
They were taken to the city’s RVI and it was feared they had been exposed to carbon monoxide.
All were later discharged, with mother Barha Aldamgha telling of her relief through her brother Basher, who acted as a translator.
She said: “I’m so relieved that we are all OK. I’m very happy and I know we have been very lucky.”
Barha, her partner Ibrahim Zia Alabdin, and their five children Hiba, eight; Mohammed, seven; Ginah, four; Gada, two; and oneyear-old Ahmmad, needed help.
One neighbour described the events as ‘mayhem.’ familyit what had She Barha happened.not BBQ said: beensaid that“I they insideWe don’t night, had had the but understanda enjoyedhouse.BBQ insistedlast a weekend charcoal,and this did exactlysamenot happen.the BBQ, same everything- same about “We 6pmhad our and teait was from maybethe BBQ 9.3010pm at unwell time- a bit we sleepy. started Theto feel childrena bit started showing signs first and I don’t remember much more after that.” Neighbours described the ‘horror’ of the events that unfolded with one describing the nightmare of seeing one of the children having his chest pumped in the front garden. Kayleigh Thompson, a mother of three, said: “I saw all the lights going past. It’s quite a quiet area but I could see the lights and they didn’t seem to pass so I jumped up to look out the window and that’s when I saw them all over the road. I saw emergency crews dashing into the house. It was scary.
“My friend lives just a few doors up so I went up the road to make sure everything was OK with her. It was as I got there that they were starting to bring the children out of the house. That was horrible to see. They were limp and looked like rag dolls. They took all the children to the same ambulance but one of the boys who came out, I’m presuming he must have been the worst, one of the paramedics lay him in the garden and knelt down next to him. It looked like he was pounding his chest. That was horrible to witness. “I have three young kids of my own and I couldn’t settle after that just worrying about those poor young kids.” Graeme Smurthwaite lives next door, and was woken by wife only after emergency services had everyone out of the house. “I looked out of the bedroom window to see all the emergency services - it was quite terrifying,” he said. “I was then told to get my bedroom window open and then we also had to leave our house. “It was a horrifying thing but thankfully they were all OK and back from the hospital the next morning. They’re a quiet but pleasant family. They’ve been living there since July-August and they say hello but the mother in particular doesn’t speak much English.”
The near-miss initially sparked fears it had something to do with new boilers recently installed.
But the city council were on the scene checking houses and reassuring residents their homes were safe. On Monday, residents were also offered gas alarms.
Mrs Thompson praised the council’s efforts, saying: “The council were great, I must say. I’m a little further up the street but I asked if when he got chance he’d check my house and my boiler just to be sure. He didn’t have to but in fairness to him he did within 30 minutes of it all happening. He was lovely. He came back the next day too to offer us a carbon monoxide alarm.”