Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks says there are two conclusions to be drawn from a call the fire department responded to last Thursday night.

And that's for residents to make sure they have carbon monoxide detectors which are installed and maintained properly as well as ensuring vehicles are turned off when they're in a garage.

"Have or get installed and maintain carbon monoxide detectors because they will save lives,” he said in an interview this morning at the city's Public Safety Building, adding that in this case, there is "a good news story.”

It's thanks to a carbon monoxide detector that there was no damage and no one was hurt in the incident last Thursday night, he said.

The fire department was called at around 10:20 p.m. after the carbon monoxide detector in the home sounded.

The residents got out of the home and called the fire department.

It was soon found a resident had mistakenly left a vehicle running in the attached garage.

Carbon monoxide levels in the garage were so high, all the oxygen there had been used up.

As it was noted by Sparks, the colourless, tasteless, odourless gas can enter homes through walls and doorways when a vehicle is left running in an attached garage.

Ventilation fans set on a high volume were used to force fresh air through the garage and home for approximately a half-hour before anyone was permitted back inside.

Sparks said the fans were kept on a high volume for an extended period to ensure safety.

In a statement Friday, Sparks noted: "Last night's situation could happen to anyone. The message is simple – carbon monoxide detectors save lives.”

As a newer home, the carbon monoxide detector was required under building code standards.

Since 2005, Sparks said, detectors have been required in homes that use fuel-burning appliances (propane, oil, wood) and homes that have attached garages.

As Sparks pointed out, last Thursday's incident shows the importance of the detectors.'

It seems the message is getting through to the public, with 34 carbon monoxide-related calls coming in last year compared to seven in 2011.

There have been about a dozen calls related to carbon monoxide so far in 2013, Sparks said.

"People are much more aware,” he said.

In January 2012, five people died of carbon monoxide in their rented house on Centennial Street. Those deaths spurred a recent coroner's inquest.

In previous interviews, he's noted a number of those calls have been related to the warning sound which alarms occupants when batteries are running low, or other types of similar situations.

While it's important to know what the different alarms may mean on a detector, Sparks said, he encourages anyone unsure of what a sounding alarm means to leave the building and call the fire department.