A man was found dead at a Wasilla home Wednesday night, and responders believe he was killed by carbon monoxide from gas-powered equipment running indoors.
Alaska State Troopers said in a statement that they responded just before 8 p.m. Wednesday to a call about an unresponsive man. When they arrived, EMS and other emergency responders were already attempting CPR on 50-year-old Chad Grasmick.
Troopers said a living area inside an attic space had both a gas generator and a propane heater running without ventilation.
“Fire units discovered dangerously high CO levels inside the residence,” troopers wrote.
Carbon monoxide – a colorless, odorless gas that can build up in confined spaces and suffocate people – often causes deaths during Alaska’s winter months, when gas-fueled generators and heaters are used indoors. Investigators say CO poisoning killed two people and sickened a third found in November at a North Pole workshop, where responders discovered a generator with an empty fuel tank and a still-warm woodstove.
Troopers said Grasmick’s body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office Wednesday. His family has been notified.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
