BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Six people are in the hospital after a 4-year-old's birthday party turned into a medical emergency.
Investigators said a family inside a duplex was using a camping stove connected to a propane tank.
"Initially they said they were using it outside, but the flame kept blowing out so they moved it inside, and they left the hose and tank attached outside," Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles said.
One of the children passed out. By the time rescuers arrived, an adult was also unconscious and four others in the house needed treatment. Authorities said the cause was carbon monoxide poisoning.
"The thing about carbon monoxide is it's odorless, it's colorless and tasteless," Jachles said. "Initially, you don't know you've been exposed to it. You become confused, lethargic and ultimately pass out."
The children -- ages 4 and 2 -- were taken to Plantation Hospital along with two adults. Two other adults were rushed to Broward Health Medical Center.
Neighbors were shocked to hear about what happened.
"They're crazy," one neighbor said. "They're not supposed to do that."
Jachles said it's never safe to use appliances like those indoors.
"Don't use a fossil fuel device -- a stove or oven -- other than what it was intended for," Jachles said.
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