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WATCH ABOVE: A man from Nova Scotia came to Calgary to thank a Calgarian who helped to save his life. Global’s Gil Tucker reports.

CALGARY – It meant traveling almost 5,000 kilometres, but the trip was well worth it for Reza Kashiloo, who made the journey from the Halifax area Thursday to express his gratitude to Karen Vastag for helping save his life.

Vastag was working an overnight shift last March at ADT’s emergency monitoring centre in Calgary.

A heavy snowfall in Nova Scotia that night had blocked furnace vents on Kashiloo’s house, causing a potentially deadly build-up of carbon monoxide.

Kashiloo had woken up to the beeping of a ceiling alarm, then got a call from Vastag, urging him to get out as quickly as possible.

Kashiloo and his wife were hosting five other family members for a reunion.

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The family and their dog all made it out of the house safely, helped by firefighters who cleared a path through the snow.

“It’s just so amazing to meet somebody that saved your life,” said Kashiloo. “We always look at her for the rest of our lives as a hero.”

Vastag said it took a while for what she did that night to sink in, saying when it did, she thought “’Oh my goodness. I just saved a family.’ I’m so, so happy they’re okay.”

Kashiloo is now urging others to watch out for the dangers of carbon monoxide.

“It’s the silent killer,” he said. “It’s really, really important to have a carbon monoxide detector in the house.”

READ MORE: Dartmouth family thankful for live-saving carbon monoxide detector

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