Kitten Saves Oakland County Family From Carbon Monoxide While They Were Asleep​: Officials

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — A four-month-old kitten saved a Farmington Hills family from carbon monoxide that was poisoning them inside their home while they were asleep during a power outage, according to Farmington Hills Fire.

The Stamper family was running a generator in their garage to power their appliances after a thunderstorm knocked out the power on Aug. 30, officials said.

Heidi and Ronald Stamper, along with their daughter Paige, 13, and son Quinn, 11, were sleeping inside the home when the garage door accidentally closed, trapping carbon monoxide inside the house, officials said.

As the deadly carbon monoxide was silently building up in their home, the family’s pet kitten, Thor, woke Heidi with a screeching cry and was visibly sick, officials said.

Heidi then took the kitten outside, where he started feeling better, police said. But when she brought him back inside the home, Heidi lost consciousness herself, officials said.

Thor started screeching again, waking Paige and Quinn, who were then able to get their semi-conscious parents out of the house, officials said.

Officials from the Farmington Hills Fire Department soon arrived and took the family to Beaumont-Farmington Hills hospital, police said. Heidi and the children were then flown to Promedica Hospital in Toledo for specialized care for carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.

Thor also survived the carbon monoxide poisoning and was hailed as a hero by officials.

"This is a frightening example of how carbon monoxide can accumulate quickly and potentially be fatal," said Fire Chief Jon Unruh. "Fortunately, this incident had a positive ending, but we hope all families will learn from the Stampers and keep their generators outside."

Officials said the Stampers are sharing their story to help educate people on how to safely use generators. They did not have any carbon monoxide detectors, but now have several installed throughout their house, officials said.

A GoFundMe page was created to help the family pay for their medical bills. As of Thursday afternoon, the page raised $6,370 of its $50,000 goal.

If any residents need help with purchasing or installing a carbon monoxide alarm, they can contact the Farmington Hills Fire Department at 248-871-2800 or their local fire departments.

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