The death of a Te Anau man from carbon monoxide poisoning last year serves as a warning of the dangers of using gas burners in enclosed areas, Coroner David Crerar says.
In an inquest in Te Anau on Tuesday, Mr Crerar ruled Rex Ernest Alfred Hodgetts (68), retired, had died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his caravan at Mt York Rd near Te Anau on June 18, 2009.
Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau, found Mr Hodgetts when he went to deliver a trespass notice from the Southland District Council, which was planning to move Mr Hodgetts' caravan from the Mt York roadside.
He told the inquest Mr Hodgetts appeared to have been eating a meal when he died, as cooked food was found on the kitchen bench, but the gas cooker was turned off.
"No smell of LPG gas was apparent inside the caravan. The smell of LPG was able to be noticed outside the caravan near the gas bottle, which was situated at the front of the caravan. The LPG bottle appeared to be empty," Sgt Hollebon said.
He also noticed there was no ventilation grille under the cooker for any unburned gas to ventilate out of the caravan. All windows and the skylight were also closed.
The caravan's gas system was tested in August by Christopher Fry, manager of Fry's Plumbing Ltd, in Te Anau. He told the inquest both the caravan and the gas cooker were in a very poor condition.
"The gas cooker was unsafe to the extent that I would not attempt to light it up," he said.
Mr Crerar said people should be shown the dangers of using a gas burner in an enclosed area.
"I ... held an inquest some years ago into a similar death with incomplete combustion in a burner in an enclosed area, and I know of others. Three young men died in Arthurs Pass a few years ago, while cooking in their car, and I know that some volunteer DOC workers died in a tent in the Chatham Islands from a similar occurrence."
"It really needs to be reinforced. I will not bring [Mr] Hodgetts back, but at least we can learn something from his death," Mr Crerar said.
The formal written findings are still to be released.
