Posted on 09/27/2009 9:15:13 PM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
When Dr. Bryan Kirby and his wife Samantha tried to wake up their 2-year-old twin boys around 8:30 a.m. Monday, they discovered that the toddlers were unconscious and immediately placed a 911 call for help.
When we responded to the scene, the parents were doing everything they could to sustain life, Carrollton Fire Chief Jimmy Bearden said. We administered CPR and transported them to the hospital but there just wasnt anything anyone could do.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the twins Asa and Elijah were pronounced dead. According to the police investigation, the boys suffocated due to extreme heat exposure caused by a malfunction within the heating system.
The Kirbys home, which was less than 10 years old, had two separate heating and air-conditioning units, one on the lower level and another on the upper level where the boys slept.
When the parents went to wake them up, they realized that the top floor was extremely hot, Carrollton police Investigator James Perry said. We believe there was a problem with the unit which was a standard residential system.
The cause of the problem, however, was still unknown Monday afternoon.
It could have been weather-related or a malfunction in the system, Perry said. We have ruled out any criminal activity or negligence so the investigation is now out of our hands but we will still have an interest in the case because this is the first time weve seen anything like this.
Police recommended that an electrical engineer and heating specialist look at the unit to identify the cause of the malfunction.
The Kirbys had apparently had trouble with the system in the spring, but had a technician fix the problem.
If there was an actual malfunction with the system, weve all learned something new, Perry said. Because no one ever thought something like this could happen.
No it doesn't. I can't see how a heating system could make it so hot it would be fatal to a baby. Every furnace i have ever had has safety features which shut it down after it runs continuously for an abnormally long period of time(predetermined).
Oh, dear, imagine their horror. Prayers for them.
More than likely carbom monoxide. Very sad.
carbon, sorry.
I agree. If it was just heat, you would think those boys would have been making a ruckus at the first sign of discomfort. And if they are anything like mine, they can make alot of noise.
Plus, how hot could it have gotten overnight? They found them at 8:30am.
Regardless, a horrible tragedy...
hmmm.. after reconsidering my last, it occurred to me that if the HVAC units were of the “heat pump” design (common in the south) where essentially the same compressor both heats and cools, a switching malfunction is not out of the question...
Still I can’t imagine. Our 3-yr old is down sick - and spent the night with my wife so she could more easily comfort him. It’s hard enough to see your babies sick - this is so sad...
When I was a kid, one of our neighbors repaired pianos that had major problems. Most of them were expensive grands that were fire damaged. I remember him telling my dad about a family that went on vacation and the heater (gas) was stuck in the on position for 2 weeks. This was in the late 60s/early 70s. The heat did alot of damage, our neighbor got a lot of work from this home, fixing 2 pianos and other furnature. I remember him showing us a lamp that was melted.
Sad. RIP.
Then why didn’t the story say that?
Is the entire story a lie?
Were the lab boys fooled into concocting this weird tale out of whole cloth?
A lot of thermostats, furnace motors, etc. are being made in China and Mexico now. We own an HVAC business and we have seen the quality of what were once high quality brands go way, way down.
Even safeties aren't fail-safe.
They showed all his melted records and even a plastic table that had been reduced to a puddle on the floor.
At least nobody was hurt in that story. This story is awful.
When my children were that age, they were only a couple rooms away and I could hear every noise they made. If they were too far away for me to hear if they were in distress, I would have used a baby monitor at the very least.
I'm sure there will be a thorough investigation to make sure the parents weren't too screwed up to hear them.
I hope that's not the case.
I hope the children didn't suffer but I don't really see how they couldn't have. :( Isn't the process similar to a heat related death from being left in a car?
Since you are in the buisness are there any still made here?
Do you remember details about the twins who you said died in California?
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