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ASPEN — Legislation prompted by the carbon monoxide-related deaths of a family at an Aspen-area home and a college student in Denver was signed into law Tuesday.
Gov. Bill Ritter put his signature to House Bill 1091, which will require most homes in the state to be fitted with CO detectors. He signed the bill, known as the Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act, at a ceremony in Denver.
The measure calls for homes and apartments offered for sale or transfer after July 1 to be equipped with detectors near bedrooms. The detectors will also have to be put in homes and apartments that are subject to renovations or additions after July 1.
The measure applies to residences with a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. The act is named for the Lofgren family of Denver and Lauren Johnson of Denver.
The idea is to hopefully prevent tragedies such as the one that claimed Parker Lofgren, 39; his wife, Caroline, 42; and their two children, Owen, 10, and Sophie, 8, while staying at a home outside Aspen on Thanksgiving weekend last year.
The family died of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said. Family friends, who had driven from Denver to share the house with them for the holiday, found them dead inside a bedroom at the home on 10 Popcorn Lane.
The residence is located about 4 miles east of Aspen in unincorporated Pitkin County.
The home was not fitted with a carbon monoxide detector, authorities said. The finding was one of many made during a lengthy investigation led by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The results of the investigation were turned over in February to the district attorney’s office in Aspen, which has been reviewing the case.
“We will be making an announcement soon,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin.
The measure is also the latest in a number of efforts to require detectors be installed in apartments and homes. Aspen, Snowmass Village and Pitkin County have each adopted similar laws.
Parker Lofgren was managing partner and co-founder of St. Charles Capital, a Denver-based investment bank.
His wife, Caroline, was active with numerous charitable groups. Their children attended St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver.
Johnson died of carbon monoxide poisoning in January at her apartment near the University of Denver. Johnson, 23, was a graduate student.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless and colorless gas that is created when fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas and propane, burn incompletely. It is poisonous and can kill cells of the body. It also replaces oxygen in the bloodstream, which leads to suffocation.
whaupt@aspentimes.com
Gov. Bill Ritter put his signature to House Bill 1091, which will require most homes in the state to be fitted with CO detectors. He signed the bill, known as the Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act, at a ceremony in Denver.
The measure calls for homes and apartments offered for sale or transfer after July 1 to be equipped with detectors near bedrooms. The detectors will also have to be put in homes and apartments that are subject to renovations or additions after July 1.
The measure applies to residences with a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. The act is named for the Lofgren family of Denver and Lauren Johnson of Denver.
The idea is to hopefully prevent tragedies such as the one that claimed Parker Lofgren, 39; his wife, Caroline, 42; and their two children, Owen, 10, and Sophie, 8, while staying at a home outside Aspen on Thanksgiving weekend last year.
The family died of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said. Family friends, who had driven from Denver to share the house with them for the holiday, found them dead inside a bedroom at the home on 10 Popcorn Lane.
The residence is located about 4 miles east of Aspen in unincorporated Pitkin County.
The home was not fitted with a carbon monoxide detector, authorities said. The finding was one of many made during a lengthy investigation led by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The results of the investigation were turned over in February to the district attorney’s office in Aspen, which has been reviewing the case.
“We will be making an announcement soon,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin.
The measure is also the latest in a number of efforts to require detectors be installed in apartments and homes. Aspen, Snowmass Village and Pitkin County have each adopted similar laws.
Parker Lofgren was managing partner and co-founder of St. Charles Capital, a Denver-based investment bank.
His wife, Caroline, was active with numerous charitable groups. Their children attended St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver.
Johnson died of carbon monoxide poisoning in January at her apartment near the University of Denver. Johnson, 23, was a graduate student.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless and colorless gas that is created when fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas and propane, burn incompletely. It is poisonous and can kill cells of the body. It also replaces oxygen in the bloodstream, which leads to suffocation.
whaupt@aspentimes.com
