Charlotte Phillipp is a Weekend Writer-Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024, and was previously an entertainment reporter at The Messenger.
Four people were found dead in a New Hampshire home on Christmas day from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities say.
According to a press release from the New Hampshire Division of Fire Safety, police arrived at a home on the 2900 block of Province Lake Road in Wakefield, N.H. -- located on the Maine border -- at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 25, after someone called for a welfare check on the house.
When officers arrived, they found four adults dead inside the house, and investigators from the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office were called to the scene, State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said.
"While the investigation remains active and ongoing, at this time, investigators believe the victims died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning," the release states.
Investigators have not yet released the names of the victims, as police are still notifying their next of kin. The New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is set to perform autopsies on Thursday "to confirm the cause and manner of death for each of the victims."
Toomey noted in the press release that people should be careful to keep working carbon monoxide alarms in their homes.
"In the event of an alarm activation, residents should immediately exit their homes and call 9-1-1," the press release adds. "Anyone with questions about home fire and carbon monoxide safety should contact their local fire department or the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office."
The Division of Fire Safety also encouraged anyone with information about the incident to contact the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office at (603) 223-4289 or [email protected].
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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon monoxide is a "colorless, practically odorless and tasteless gas or liquid" that results from "incomplete oxidation of carbon in combustion."
Common sources of carbon monoxide include gas stoves, leaking chimneys and furnaces and unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, per the EPA. When poisoning occurs, the Mayo Clinic states that people may experience a headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness and more.
"Anyone exposed to carbon monoxide needs to get into fresh air and seek medical care right away. Call emergency medical services (EMS) or dial 911 right away for someone who's in a coma or can't respond," the Mayo Clinic writes.