A father and his two sons have died after being overwhelmed by fumes when a generator reportedly malfunctioned in a shed in the far west of New South Wales.

Emergency crews were confronted by a “very distressing” situation when they arrived at a home on Creedon Street, Broken Hill, on Thursday afternoon and found the trio unconscious in a rear workshop, while the man’s wife looked on unable to do anything.

A NSW Ambulance spokesman said the 44-year-old man, 23-year-old man and 16-year-old boy were in cardiac arrest.



On Friday, NSW Ambulance Insp Lisa Darley told Network Seven, “when we arrived on scene we found a very distressed wife”.

“We could see that there were three patients inside before we were overwhelmed by the fumes ... and we had to wait for the NSW Fire & Rescue to come with their specialised equipment,” she said.

It’s believed the father was first overcome by fumes in a cellar, with his two sons then trying to save him before they too collapsed, a neighbour said.

Three family members found dead inside empty water tank on NSW property Read more

“He went to check the generator because he could smell the petrol fumes,” Darley told Network Seven. “This is what his wife was telling me. So, she went down to help him, but she couldn’t stand the smell of the petrol fumes and the sons have come home to help Dad out and they all got trapped in the cellar.”

Darley said her team was confronted with a tragic situation.



“It was very difficult to access ... the shed and then we found a very small opening [of] about 40cm by 40cm of concrete cut out in the floor of the building,” she said.



“It was a very emotional and distressing scene, and our paramedic crews went above and beyond and did everything they could to help all three patients.”



A malfunctioning generator reportedly played a role in the incident. The trio were taken to Broken Hill hospital but died, NSW police confirmed. It will be some time before officers can gain access safely to conduct a full investigation, police said.



Darley said the deaths will deeply affect the community.



“We have a psychologist and also have chaplains and peer support officers, and for the family, it is going to be a very long counselling procedure to help them get through this,” she said.



Darley said the tragedy is a reminder of the dangers of gas.



“The worst thing for any person waiting for a loved one trapped underneath in a confined space with gasses ... is that you just want to go and save them,” she said.



A similar situation occurred on a farm in the NSW southern tablelands in February 2017 when a husband and wife and their neighbour, all in their 60s, died in an empty water tank.



The man collapsed while working in the in-ground cement tank on a property just outside Gunning, with his wife and another man going to help but they also collapsed inside the tank.



“Unfortunately, you see this all too often where the people rescuing go down and [it] also has a tragic outcome,” Darley said.

“If you do smell gas, it is best ... to wait for rescue personnel, who are specialists in this area, to perform that task.”



