SALINAS, Calif. -- A Salinas father accused of endangering his family with carbon monoxide by using a barbecue grill to warm their apartment made his first court appearance on Thursday.

Jose Rubio, 24, is facing two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.

Police said Rubio brought the grill into the apartment on Christmas Day to keep warm. Six children were sent to area hospitals suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. All were treated and later released.

On Thursday, Rubio pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"Six children could potentially have been harmed, health jeopardized. We are permitted to charge one count per child and have to evaluate to determine how to handle that. Currently there area only two charges. We'll be looking at case more completely in the coming days," prosecutor Ed Hazel said.

Rubio remains in custody with bail set at $250,000.