Boy’s Death Blamed on Furnace Maintenance Lapses

A gas company official said Wednesday that several problems with a Simi Valley home’s heating system led to the carbon-monoxide accumulation that killed a 5-year-old boy and sent his parents, brother and sister to the hospital.

An investigation found that an open door to a furnace, a clogged heating vent and a dirty furnace filter contributed to the buildup of gas early Tuesday at the home of the Richard Burley family, said Dick Duran, district manager in Simi Valley for Southern California Gas Co.

The Burleys’ youngest son, Derrick, was dead on arrival at Simi Valley Community Hospital shortly after noon Tuesday.

Burley, 37, and his wife, Jackie, 34, were in stable condition Wednesday afternoon at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, a hospital official said. Their two other children, Troy, 12, and Dawnell, 6, were in fair condition at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

Neighbor Called

A neighbor in the 1000 block of Mead Avenue called police after she learned that the children had not attended school that day and her phone calls and knocks at the door went unanswered, Simi Valley Police Lt. Rick TerBorch said. The family apparently had been overcome by the gas while they slept, TerBorch said.

Five police officers who pulled the family from the gas-filled home were also overcome by the fumes, TerBorch said, but were treated at hospitals and released.

Duran said an examination of the heating unit, which is in a closet, revealed that the door to the blower compartment had been left open. The door should have remained closed to guarantee that gases would rise through a vent leading outside, he said.

Vent Clogged

In this case, however, the vent was clogged with insulation, preventing any gas from escaping, he said.

Besides, Duran said, a filter that runs along the bottom of the unit had apparently not been changed in months. The filter, which costs about $1 and can be bought at any home supply store, should be changed once a month, Duran said.

Duran said homeowners can call on gas company maintenance workers to check heating units during the winter.