Is it safe to heat or cook indoors with gas or charcoal during an outage?
Never use a charcoal grill, a generator or an unvented gas burner indoors — they produce carbon monoxide, which has no color and no smell. A gas camping stove can be used indoors only briefly, with a window open and a CO detector in the room. Every home with an open flame needs a CO detector and a fire extinguisher.
Safe, careful or never
| Device | Indoors? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Charcoal or wood grill | never | not even on an enclosed balcony |
| Generator | never | outdoors, far from windows and doors |
| Unvented gas burner | never for heating | — |
| Gas camping stove | briefly, for cooking | window open, CO detector, never unattended |
| Gas heater rated for indoor use | yes | oxygen-depletion sensor, tip-over switch, ventilation, CO detector |
| Wood stove | yes | installed by a professional, chimney inspected |
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
Headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weakness and confusion — often several people (and pets) in the same room at once. Sleeping people can die before they notice anything.
What to do: get everyone outside into fresh air immediately, leave the device off, and call your emergency number.
Stay warm without risk
Heat one room instead of the whole home, seal drafts but keep the ventilation the device requires, and dress in layers, a hat and a warm sleeping bag — clothing keeps you warmer than any heater.
Heat and Fire
How to stay warm and cook a meal when there is no power and no heating — and how to protect yourself from carbon monoxide and fire
Worksheets (appendices)
- CO Alarm or Suspected Poisoning — What First?
- One Warm Room Plan
- Fuel Log
- Home Fire Safety Check
- Equipment by Priority
- Local Information Card
Sources: CDC — Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention; WHO — Household air pollution. Sources are listed on the last page of every guide.
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