Four people were found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a New Hampshire home on Christmas Day, authorities said.
Four adults were found dead in a Wakefield home around 4:20 p.m. after authorities were contacted to conduct a welfare check, according to the state fire marshal and police.
“While the investigation remains active and ongoing, at this time investigators believe the victims died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Fire Marshal and Chief of Wakefield Police Department and Fire and Rescue Department. said in a news release.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that more than 400 people die each year in the U.S. from unrelated carbon monoxide poisoning.
The colorless and odorless gas comes from generators, furnaces, and vehicle exhaust.
In a statement Wednesday, State Fire Marshal Sean P. Toomey emphasized the importance of installing carbon monoxide alarms in homes.
Wakefield is a town of about 5,000 people in eastern New Hampshire, near the border with Maine.
