Firefighters rushed two people and a cat out of a house south of Canby Monday after discovering they had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from a malfunctioning propane furnace.
A man and woman were taken by ambulance to Providence Portland Medical Center. Both both recovered after treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, which envelopes patients in high-pressure oxygen.
"They're going to be all right," said Battalion Chief Todd Gary, Canby Fire District spokesman. "But if they had been in the carbon monoxide much longer, it might not have turned out so well."
Gary said a woman living in the 8200 block of South Lone Elder Road called emergency dispatchers at 10:35 a.m. to report that her father no longer could speak. She also told firefighters she has been experiencing a migraine-like headache for days.
Arriving firefighters immediately detected high concentrations of potentially deadly carbon monoxide. "Our alarms go off at 35 parts per million," Gary said. "It was 125 at the front door and 500 inside."
After getting the man and woman out into fresh air, firefighters went back into the house to rescue the cat. They then opened all the windows and ran large fans to clear the air.
"A gas furnace or appliance can give off carbon monoxide if you get incomplete combustion," Gary said. "Carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible, so it can sneak up on you. This should be a warning to all to get a carbon monoxide alarm."