CORNWALL Fire and Rescue Service said a family of five had a ‘lucky escape’ following a carbon monoxide incident in a tent.

Firefighters from Delabole Community Fire Station responded to a request from paramedics to attend a report of people in a tent possibly suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, off the B3266, just north of Camelford, at around 9.20am on Sunday, August 28.

Prior to the arrival of paramedics, firefighters administered oxygen to two casualties with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and made the tent safe.

In total, a family of five people were conveyed to hospital by ambulance to be checked for the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: “It appears that breakfast was being cooked on a barbecue outside the tent. When it started to rain, the barbecue was taken inside the tent to continue the cooking.

“After a relatively short time, two of the occupants became unwell, prompting the call to the ambulance service.”

The fire service is urging people to be aware of the dangers of taking a barbecue into a confined space, such as a tent, for cooking or as a heater.

The spokesperson added: “Carbon monoxide levels can build up quickly to lethal levels.”