A BATHURST resident was lucky to escape with just a ruined saucepan after a mishap in the kitchen led to toxic fumes filling his home on Tuesday night.
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It also led to him sleeping in his car while he waited for the house to be habitable again.
John Meagher, of Bryant Street, which comes off lower Howick Street, had started boiling some eggs when he felt unwell and went to the bathroom.
"I was on some new medication for a shoulder injury and one of the side-effects is that it makes me feel nauseous," he said.
"I went to the bathroom because I felt unwell and I was there for about 15 to 20 minutes. I then started to smell something burning. I thought it might've been my slippers in front of the heater, but it wasn't them.
"I then stepped out of the bathroom and I saw something that looked like a white mist. My mini fox-terrier-cross-rottweiler Jack was on his bed, so I grabbed him and just went outside."
The water in the saucepan had evaporated during Mr Meagher's time away from the pan and the eggs and pan had burnt, causing a haze of smoke, with a strong acrid spell, to spread through his house.
Luckily, Mr Meagher had his mobile phone on him and he was able to call Fire and Rescue NSW and firefighters arrived at about 10pm.
Using a gas detector, they determined that there was too much carbon monoxide in the house, so Mr Meagher and Jack had to find an alternative place to sleep.
It was Mr Meagher's faithful Mazda 121 that served as the pair's bed for the night as they rugged up with blankets and jackets to stay warm.
"Jack is the only family I have," he said.
"I could've made a few calls to find a place to stay, but it was too late at night."
Mr Meagher said it was a freak accident that could happen to anyone - but he's adamant it will be the only time.
"It's the first time it's happened in my life," he said. "It won't happen again, that's for sure."