Carbon monoxide poisoning fuels heater safety warnings

The overnight poisoning of two children and four adults living in a granny flat in Sydney occurred after they reportedly used a charcoal burner inside their home during the night.

The emergency call came at 4.15am on Tuesday from a woman aged in her 50s who was inside the flat. She was suffering from nausea, headache and drowsiness.

Paramedics treated all six people for carbon monoxide poisoning, with the adults taken to Westmead Hospital and the children were taken to The Children's Hospital Westmead. All are in a stable condition.

The poisoning follows the deaths of 10 people in residential house fires across NSW since June 1, with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Paul Baxter confirming most of the tragedies were "preventable".

The latest death occurred on July 16 when fire engulfed a home at Bankstown in Sydney's south-west, killing a 62-year-old man in his bedroom.

There have been six more deaths this winter than the seasonal total last year (four), and 42 other people have been injured in fires since June 1, 2022.

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FRNSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry told ACM that outdoor heaters should never be used indoors.

"Generally they're not a clean burn and they produce significant amounts of carbon monoxide," he said.

"Anything that smoulders generates significant amounts of carbon monoxide."

Supt Dewberry confessed he was amazed at how "lucky" the six people were to escape with their lives after the carbon monoxide poisoning.

"You can't taste it, you can't smell it and you'll asphyxiate in your sleep," he said.

"With carbon monoxide you'll sleep 'til you're dead."

Each winter there are more than 1100 home fires in NSW, with data showing a fire can take hold in as little as three minutes.

Almost half (47 per cent) of homes damaged by fire so far this winter have not had functioning smoke alarms.