A fun family gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving almost turned tragic for actress Anna Faris. The Mom star who also hosts her own podcast called Anna Faris is Unqualified has taken to social media to thank emergency workers after members of her family suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning!
The 43-year-old actress had traveled to Lake Tahoe, California with family members last week to celebrate Thanksgiving in a rented vacation home. What Faris wasn't aware of is that the home didn't have any carbon monoxide detectors. Erin Holland, a public information officer for the North Tahoe Fire Protection District told USA Today that when two of the family members went to the hospital after complaining of feeling ill, they were diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning.
The fire department then responded by arriving at Faris's rental home to ensure the safety of the remaining family members and check the carbon monoxide levels in the home. Two additional family members were sent to the hospital and it was determined that the home had more than five times the maximum recommended indoor levels of carbon monoxide.
The actress took to Twitter to send her gratitude to the local fire department and emergency services for saving her family. "I’m not quite sure how to express gratitude to the north Lake Tahoe fire department- we were saved from carbon monoxide- it’s a stupidly dramatic story but I’m feeling very fortunate," she captioned a picture of an empty Thanksgiving table.
"The family thought they had altitude sickness. The CO poisoning symptoms are really similar," Holland told USA TODAY, commending Faris and her family for taking such quick action. "But they went to the hospital to get checked out, and once they were diagnosed, the family got out of the house right away."
Holland said that the family's quick thinking and action could have prevented a very dangerous situation. "The youngest member of the family, had they been exposed longer, could have gone into a coma," Holland said. "Every minute makes a difference. We’re really glad this story had a happy ending."
“We are so thankful to report that this holiday disaster was averted,” North Tahoe Fire Chief Mike Schwartz said in a news release. “Situational awareness is so important. Whether you are at home or traveling, it is important to ensure that smoke and CO alarms are in working order anywhere you stay. It’s not a bad idea to consider bringing your own alarm when you travel, just to be safe.”
Holland suggested that when traveling you should immediately check your rental accommodations for fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and check to ensure they're in working order. If they're not she suggests contacting the property owner or manager and if they do not immediately rectify the situation you should consider not staying at the property. "We all really have to take responsibility for our own situational awareness and our own safety," she said.