FIRE officers had to rescue a woman after she collapsed after being exposed to carbon monoxide in Stevenston. 

Two fire engines from Kilwinning and Ardrossan attended a property in Greenhead Holdings on Saturday, November 26, shortly after 2pm, at the request of the Scottish Ambulance Service .

They suspected that the householders had been exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

The incident had been caused by a combination cooker – solid fuel burner which had become defective and given out the poisonous fumes.

Station Manager Derek Davidson said: “Fire & Rescue crews wore breathing apparatus to enter the area and assist in the removal of an adult female who had collapsed within the property as a result of exposure to carbon monoxide. 

“An adult male and four children had also been affected at the scene. Fire crews ventilated the property and ambulance sort teams checked the atmosphere with monitoring equipment to ensure the fumes had dissipated.”

He added: “I would urge all householders with gas or solid fuel appliances to install carbon monoxide alarms in the home.

“It will give warning of what is essentially a silent killer.”