Three people inside the home on Ocean Avenue never knew what was happening. As they went about their daily routine, carbon monoxide leak inside their home was slowly killing them.
At noon, investigators were still on the scene although they have a pretty clear idea of what happened. When, firefighters entered the house around 8:30 a.m. this morning, they found was carbon monoxide levels off the charts due to a faulty furnace.
There is now heart-wrenching grief over a family tragedy. Three lives were claimed by a silent, odorless, tasteless killer. Tuesday morning, firefighters discovered a mother, daughter and grand daughter all overcome by carbon monoxide. When emergency units entered the home on Ocean Avenue they discovered CO levels over a thousand parts per million when 0-9 is considered safe.
Chief Thomas Haring, FDNY: "With those numbers, within a few breaths you could be unconscious."
One of the victims was 38-year-old Anita Bitri who was a well-known singer in her native Albania. Also killed was her 60-year-old mother and her seven-year-old daughter. The family moved to Staten Island about two years ago and just earlier this year, Bitri's husband died of cancer.
Leunora Ruci, Neighbor: "I see them everyday. I go for coffee. I just don't believe it."
Fire officials want to stress that this was entirely preventable with a carbon monoxide detector. Also, a city law will go into affect on November 1st, requiring all residents to have carbon monoxide detectors
