Seven members of the same family in Herseaux, a district in Mouscron, were hospitalised overnight from Saturday to Sunday due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a charcoal barbecue.
Emergency services from Wallonie Picarde were alerted at 2:03, and units from Évregnies (Estaimpuis) and Mouscron were dispatched to Rue de la Persévérance. The team included a fire engine, a mobile emergency unit, three ambulances, and a command vehicle.
According to Captain Fabrice Hubaut, who led the operation, the family had been using a charcoal-fuelled brazier for a barbecue on the first floor of their home, which consisted of a ground floor, upper floor, and attic. The charcoal combustion in the closed space led to the release of dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.
The seven affected individuals included an adult couple, their four children, and a close relative. All were stabilised and taken to the emergency department of Mouscron Hospital. The mother, who suffered more severe poisoning, was transferred to Lille Hospital in France, where she was treated in a hyperbaric chamber to receive oxygen therapy at high concentrations.
At the peak of the gathering, around fifteen people were reportedly present in the building. Some guests who left for their homes in Charleroi experienced respiratory distress and sought emergency medical attention, leading to the discovery of the carbon monoxide incident that prompted the rescue operation to save the family.
