Firefighters say wood stove wasn't installed properly
 
By Lynn Bartels
Rocky Mountain News

DENVER — An 8-month-old boy died Monday in a Gateway Village home where Denver firefighters found smoke and higher-than-normal levels of carbon monoxide.

The home's only source of heat was an improperly installed wood-burning stove in the kitchen that had been vented out a patio door, said Lt. Philip Champagne, a Denver fire spokesman.

Neighbors saw the distraught mother and other family members running down the sidewalk, screaming and hugging each other after firefighters responded to the 15000 block of East 43rd Avenue about 8:15 a.m.

The coroner's office identified the baby boy as Trino Miranda. The cause of death is unknown, and an autopsy is scheduled for today.

Tried to console
Neighbor Rene Perez, 24, said he was outside preparing to head to work when he saw the victim's mother and another woman crying in front of the home.

As Perez tried to console the women, he saw white smoke filling the living room.

"The mother started to tell me that her baby was dead," Perez said.

"I told her, 'Everything's going to be OK. The fire department was coming.' But she said, 'He's already dead. He's already dead.' "

Perez said he asked the women what was causing all the smoke inside the two-story home and they told him that they had "the chimney on."

Neighbor Juanita Jones, who has lived in Montbello since 1982, said she awoke Monday to the sounds of large truck engines idling outside her home.

She thought it was construction until she heard screaming, looked out the window and saw firetrucks and several people running up and down the streets.

She said the women in the group were saying, "Oh my God, oh my God," and hugging each other.

Jones became distressed herself after learning about the death.

"That's horrible," she said. "Just a baby."

Jones said the family moved in about five years ago and are nice neighbors.

55 parts per million
Champagne said the highest reading for carbon monoxide levels before it enters the danger zone is 35 parts per million.

Even as firefighters ventilated the home, the level was 55 parts per million, the lieutenant said.

Homicide detectives are investigating, which is routine in such cases, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

It was not immediately known how many other relatives were in the house, but Champagne said no one else was injured.

By Monday night the family was back inside the home. They declined to comment.

Permits required
Homeowners who want wood- burning stoves need to obtain proper permits from the city and have a licensed contractor install the device and provide adequate ventilation, Champagne said.

Investigators said they believe the victim's family did not have the necessary permits for the stove and that they installed it on their own.

"According to witnesses, that was their only heating source," Champagne said.

During the cold months, firefighters increasingly come across needy families who use hazardous methods to keep warm and expose themselves to danger, Champagne said.

Copyright 2007 Denver Publishing Company