‘Hero’ agents ‘just doing our job’ pull 2 unconscious men from carbon monoxide-filled Utah home

29th April 2026 – KSL Utah: COLUMBIA, Carbon County — Two Adult Probation and Parole agents in Utah are being recognized for their heroics after pulling two men out of a home filled with carbon monoxide who were moments from death, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.

On Tuesday, agents Nick Parker and Kelten Larsen were in the East Carbon area — about 30 minutes outside of Price — when they heard a call on the local police radio that two men were suffering from an unknown medical condition in a home in Columbia, an unincorporated coal mining town in a remote part of the county. Investigators believe one of the two men inside the home was able to call 911 before passing out.

Because the state agents were close, they went to the residence and were the first to arrive at the scene.

Larsen told KSL that when he and his partner arrived, they “heard what we thought was a woman screaming.” The agents then found an open door and went into the house.

“We’re calling out, and no one is answering back,” Parker said.

That’s when they discovered two men, ages 37 and 39, unconscious on the floor. One man lived in the home and the other was visiting from Wellington.

“One of the men had labored breathing and subsequently stopped breathing, leading the agents to immediately initiate CPR,” said Utah Department of Corrections spokesman Rich Piatt.

The two agents assumed they had stumbled onto an overdose situation and began applying Narcan to the victims. But they also smelled a “large toxic smell,” Larsen said. That’s when they decided to pull out the victims out of the house one by one. By that point, emergency crews from East Carbon had arrived to assist.

After pulling the two unconscious men out of the house, the two agents returned to the home to look for others. Parker says he located two cats, which the agents later determined is where the “screaming” noise came from, and carried them out. Larsen located a dog and carried that animal out of the house.

But by that time, both men were feeling the effects of what was later determined to be carbon monoxide.

“I’m feeling this pretty good and it’s not a good feeling,” Parker recounted Wednesday.

Larsen added that he was feeling light-headed and nauseous. Piatt said one agent described his lips “tingling” and feeling sluggish in his movements. Corrections officials estimate the two agents were in the home for 10 to 15 minutes in total.

Both victims “regained consciousness outside and were transported to Utah Valley Hospital for treatment. Law enforcement confirmed that the men were moments from death, which Parker and Larsen prevented by risking their own safety to rescue them,” Piatt said. 

Read the full article at: KSL Utah

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Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless toxic gas. In the United States alone, the CDC states that every year carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires leads to over 50,000 Americans going to the emergency room, with around 15,000 being hospitalized and as many as 500 deaths.

Generators, car engines, air conditioning systems, boilers, ovens and other equipment where combustion takes place can cause carbon monoxide exposure when used incorrectly and/or in the wrong environment, or if it is not properly maintained.

Please see our simple safety advice on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the very real dangers of carbon monoxide.

Or, click here and complete our short contact form if you or someone you know has suffered carbon monoxide poisoning and need advice on whether you may have grounds to claim compensation from those responsible.