Three people in Steinbach owe a big thanks to their carbon monoxide detectors for alerting them to a dangerous situation early Friday morning. The Steinbach Fire Department got an alarm at 2:30 a.m. for a home on Cypress Place in the Stonebridge area. Assistant Deputy Chief Mike Penner says the alarm was for real.

"On our metres, we had some readings, (high) enough that they should evacuate the building."

Red dot shows approximate location of the call

Penner adds they called in Centra Gas which investigated further.

"And they determined it was a furnace problem. One of the heat exchangers was possibly cracked and not burning properly, causing the carbon monoxide in the house."

He says Centra Gas shut down the furnace until it can be repaired by a certified service person. Penner notes the three adults who were in the home are fine.

Penner urges all of us to make sure our carbon monoxide detectors are working and to trust them.

"Sometimes the alarm goes off and you wonder; Why is this thing going off? You can't smell it (carbon monoxide), you can't see it. But you have to trust those detectors. Make sure the batteries are in them. But you want to definitely trust them because it's an odourless, colourless gas."