Mother, three daughters dead in heater-related incident

AMMAN — A mother and her three daughters died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Saturday, in an incident involving a kerosene heater, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

The Syrian woman, 35, and the three girls, aged 12, 7 and 4, died after inhaling gas from the heater at their home in Irbid’s Mazar District, some 80km north of Amman.

The CDD took them to Prince Rashid Military Hospital, but they were declared dead on arrival, a CDD statement said.

In remarks to The Jordan Times last December, CDD Media Director Brig. Gen. Farid Sharaa said 23 people died and 307 were injured last winter due to heater-related incidents.

He urged the public not to keep kerosene and gas heaters on for long periods, to ventilate homes and to make sure the hoses connected to gas cylinders are attached correctly and not worn out. 

Sharaa stressed the importance of not relying on children to replace gas cylinders and of keeping heaters away from small rooms, such as kitchens and bedrooms, noting that the stairwell is the best area to place them.

He said although the CDD highlights important facts about the proper use of heaters every year, many people are still in danger of gas inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.