West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) is today (6 Feb 2024) issuing an urgent warning.
It follows a number of callouts where extremely high carbon monoxide levels have been detected – posing a risk to residents and their neighbours.
So far in 2024, WMFS has attended six incidents at which very high levels of carbon monoxide appear to have come from ‘wood coal’ fuels being burned indoors to fuel incense, shisha pipes or to light other fuels.
These have set off carbon monoxide alarms or caused illness, with levels of 600 parts per million (ppm) detected, which is high enough to be fatal.
The products, including Abo Alabed wood coal (pictured), do not have relevant safety labels or warnings that they should not be burned inside.
They are available on major retailers’ websites, and may be being sold in small, local shops who may not be aware of the risks the products pose.
We advise anyone using such products:
- check for and read any safety labels
- if you’re not sure about the safety of the product – don’t use it
- do not burn these products in an unventilated area
- install carbon monoxide alarms in your home, in the same room as any fuel-burning appliance.
Thank you for reading this message. Please share it with anyone you know who might use these products.