HOUGHTON, MI (AP)-- Authorities in the Upper Peninsula are urging people to clear snow from vents that release exhaust from home appliances.
The region has been smothered by snow. As a result, the Houghton Fire Department is reporting an increase in calls about carbon monoxide alarms.
Fire Chief Mike Reynolds tells the Daily Mining Gazette that vents are being blocked by snow because they're too low. Vents release natural gas exhaust from furnaces, water heaters and dryers, but they can become plugged. Exposure to carbon monoxide can be fatal.
Reynolds says carbon monoxide detectors should be regularly checked. He found one that was 20 years old.
A research station at Michigan Technological University is reporting more than 12 feet of snow so far this season.
