Moorhead tragedy hits home for Minnesota woman

Brundidge lost five family members to CO poisoning in Louisiana after Hurricane Laura

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (KVRR) – “When I saw the story in Moorhead where seven people were in the house and there was no forced entry and the police went to check on them, because they hadn’t heard from them, family members hadn’t heard from them. I felt like I was living my situation all over again,” Media Personality Sheletta Brundidge said.

Brundidge lost five family members to CO poisoning in Louisiana after Hurricane Laura. Since then she’s turned her grief into purpose.

“I said I’m going to use this grief and turn it into an opportunity to give,” Brundidge said.

She’s partnered with First Alert, a company that makes and sells carbon monoxide detectors. With their assistance, she’s given out more than 500 detectors out to Minnesotans. She was honored with a civilian award early this year for her work by the Fire Chiefs Association in Minnesota.

“Carbon monoxide is something that builds up in your house in your furnaces, anything run by natural gas, maybe even a chimney. If you have a chimney in your house, if it’s not properly vented, carbon monoxide can build up in your furnace or in your house,” West Fargo Fire Department Community Risk Reduction Officer Travis Olson said.

“Get a carbon monoxide detector. Don’t lose two generations of your family overnight. It’s worth the $30 investment,” Brundidge said.

Before installing the device, it is crucial to test it, and if everything is working properly you should hear a beep.

“For me it’s all about making sure no one has to wake up and get a phone call that their loved ones died. And not just one loved one, but two or three or four or five, or in this case seven, and children, no one wants to experience that,” Brundidge said..

For anyone that’s in need of a detector, but can’t afford them, they can click here and have one shipped for free.