Close call in Dawson City, Yukon

A campaign to put a working carbon monoxide and smoke detector in every Dawson City, Yukon, home has already paid off.

Dawson fire chief Jim Regimbal says one homeowner in West Dawson heard about the program and decided to check the batteries in the carbon monoxide detector.

It immediately sounded an alarm.

Regimbal says when firefighters tested the home, they found a potentially lethal level of carbon monoxide.

He says local firefighters are visiting every home in the community of about 1,300 starting in some of the harder to reach neighbourhoods across the Yukon River.

We've been able to get everyone across river being West Dawson right to Sunnydale area provided with one of these combination alarms prior to freeze up, Regimbal says.

He says the department has 900 detectors to give away.