A neighbor who suspected something wasn’t quite right when hearing a neighbor and her granddaughter were’t feeling well — and then returned to the home to investigate — is being credited with saving them from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.

Lt. John Mueller of the Austin Police Department said a 7-year-old female and her 65-year-old grandmother, living on the 2300 block of 15th Avenue Southwest, were being evaluated at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin on Monday morning, thanks to the neighbor. Elevated CO levels were found in their home, he added.

The neighbor first went to the home about 7:45 a.m. Monday. The neighbor and grandmother had a carpool arrangement and the neighbor came to the home to pick up the 7-year-old for school. When the neighbor’s child went to the door, her classmate told her that she and her grandmother weren’t feeling well.

The neighbor took her own daughter to school and then returned to the home when she “had a feeling that something wasn’t right,” Mueller said. After talking to the grandmother, she suspected carbon monoxide and called 911. Emergency personnel on the scene found both the 7-year-old and grandmother had elevated levels of CO and they were transported to the hospital.

The Austin Fire Department ventilated the home and Austin Utilities was investigating the cause as of press time.

Mueller urged citizens to check their furnaces to make sure they were working properly and that exhaust vents were clear of snow. He said it was critical that carbon monoxide detectors were installed and working properly.

For information on carbon monoxide safety visit: http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/fire-and-life-safety-equipment/carbon-monoxide/carbon-monoxide-safety-tips