If one of the burner lights is on, check the burner handles and make sure it is not pointing to one side. One burner light = one burner is lit.
If it’s a gas stove, it may be on and the pilot isn’t on for that burner, so you should check. It is dangerous to be in a room with a gas stove that has a burner (or an oven) on while a pilot light is off = carbon monoxide poisoning.
If it is a gas oven, open all the windows and ventilate the apartment/house for a few hours and even turn on a fan. DO NOT LIGHT A MATCH. Go for a walk outside and get some fresh air if you’ve been stuck inside for a while (especially at night).
After a few hours of airing, open the stovetop and take a look. If you are afraid, ask a neighbor to help you. You should see a small blue flash of flame in the middle of the burners. (You have a pilot light for both sides) and everything should be on. If you have one that doesn’t seem to be on, turn it on. These must be on. Lower the stove and see if you can remove the burner handles. Take them out and soak them in hot water and a strong detergent to remove any sludge.
Dry them and glue them again. Make sure all are pointing up = burners are off.
A gas oven works the same way and has its own pilot light under the stove. It’s harder to get to, but if you’re on the floor and you open the bottom of the oven (sometimes it’s for storage and sometimes it’s a grill).. you’ll see the same little blue flame = OK.
What you don’t want is for one of the small flames to go out and then turn the oven on because that releases carbon monoxide into the room = dangerous.
Lighting a match when there is a leak can cause an explosion. If you are sleeping or confined to a room where the furnace or oven has a pilot light off = you may feel dizzy, confused, have a constant low intensity headache, pass out, feel nauseous, vomit and in some case, it can be fatal. People die from carbon monoxide poisoning all the time, so be careful.
If you feel sick (one of the above symptoms), go to the emergency room immediately. You can always call the National Poison Control hotline and they will help you, as well as dispatch paramedics and a gas company representative immediately. The gas company will send a technician to check all gas appliances free of charge for anyone. They want to make sure everyone is safe.
If it’s an electric oven, that’s fine and you don’t have to worry about it.
The oven cycle light should indicate that it is preheating. You’re supposed to set your desired temperature (or have options to bake, broil, reheat, and optionally self-clean if you have a self-cleaning oven). If set to “self-cleaning”, the oven will lock out and deny you access until cleaning is complete. Cleaning = rises to extremely high temperatures and roasts the dirt. It takes about 2 hours and your whole house would get really hot. (You only need to self-clean once in a while, not after every use.
If it’s an apartment, please let your landlord or the property management company know of any problems with the oven, stove, oven, or appliances.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm
24/7 National Poison Hotline
(800) 222-1222