Volunteer firefighters in Centre County told 6News they’re still unsure if a Hublersburg family became ill Tuesday night because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a malfunctioning furnace or if it was a virus.

Volunteers with the Walker Township fire department said two adults and four children felt sick, left their duplex and walked to the fire hall a few blocks away instead of calling 911.

Centre County dispatchers told 6News that several ambulances responded, but paramedics checked everyone out and decided they did not need to be taken to the emergency room at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Firefighters said they checked the duplex and said their detectors didn’t sense carbon monoxide inside the building, but they said the furnace may have malfunctioned and the odorless gas could have dissipated after the family left.

Centre County Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Rockey hopes that the family’s close call will urge homeowners and apartment tenants to invest in carbon monoxide detectors and use extreme caution if they use a generator in an extended power outage, like many people did when Superstorm Sandy knocked out electricity to millions of residents.

"You're not going to see it, you're not going to smell it. You'll be down, you'll be dizzy, you'll be sick, and you’ll be out before you know it,” said Rockey. "Don't go downwind of it, because you're just going to be sucking in more of the fumes. Go upwind. I know that sounds easy to do. It's very hard to do when you're disoriented, dizzy, it's dark out, and it may be raining out."