O'FALLON, Mo. • Four members of an O'Fallon family are back home after narrowly escaping when their furnace malfunctioned and started spewing out dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, officials say.

Vincent Celano, 54, of the 400 block of Eggering Drive, said he woke up about 6:30 a.m. Monday, drenched in sweat.

"I thought I was coming down with a fever," he said. "I really couldn't get up so I kind of dozed back off."

When he woke up again, Celano said he felt sick to his stomach and tried to sit up on the end of the bed so he could get to the bathroom, but he was too weak.

"I didn't know what was happening," he said. "I thought maybe I was having a heart attack."

He eventually got to the bathroom, but passed out again, he said. He called out for his son, Anthony, 11, who got his cousin, Greg Hastie, 41, who was staying there over the holidays.

Hastie had earlier collapsed in the kitchen and had become suspicious that carbon monoxide may be the cause. He had opened some windows and doors and was outside when Anthony found him.

Hastie dialed 911, then he, Anthony, and Hastie's 14-year-old son Caden waited outside for paramedics with the St. Charles County Ambulance District to arrive.

O'Fallon firefighters, using a CO detector, discovered a very high reading of 900 ppm; a normal reading is 0. They donned their masks and oxygen tanks and went back in to rescue Celano.

Celano said he woke up to one of the firefighters telling him that he needed to try to get up, but he couldn't.

"He basically dragged me out," Celano said.

All four were transported by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield for treatment.

Martin Limpert, spokesman for the ambulance district, said the Celanos and Hasties were very lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.

By Tuesday afternoon, they all were back at home, and a furnace repairman was busy cleaning and checking the appliance. Celano said they won't be sleeping in the house again until they get a CO detector.

"You don't know how precious life is until you're on that doorstep," he said. " I knew I was dying in that bathroom, I just didn't know what it was."