Carbon Monoxide Suspected In Gary, Ind. Death
(CBS) -- A Gary, Indiana woman is dead and a child has been hospitalized after firefighters responded to the home they shared and reportedly tried to heat with an oven.
Neighbors said the house has had furnace issues and it's likely the people living there used the oven to try to heat the home.
"This is the worst time of year to lose someone, because from now on Christmas is going to be just a dark hole for them," neighbor Renae Jackson says.
Gary firefighters said a 5-year-old girl was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake in critical condition, and later was transferred to Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago.
A 72-year-old woman also was taken to Methodist, where she was pronounced dead. The Lake County Coroner's Office said 72-year-old Tina Hoskins was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m.
According to the Gary Fire Department, carbon monoxide levels in the home were far above what is considered dangerous. When firefighters entered the home, carbon monoxide levels were measured at 400 parts per million, and 700 parts per million in the kitchen; 35 parts per million is considered dangerous, and would prompt an evacuation.
Firefighters could not immediately confirm the elevated carbon monoxide levels were the result of the oven being used to heat the home.