HOUSTON — Four members of a northwest Houston family were rushed to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday afternoon.
Cy-Fair Fire Department crews found the victims inside the home in the 17000 block of Cairnlassie.
One of the patients is a 3-year-old child, according to the fire department.
The child and two other family members were in serious condition when they arrived at Memorial Hermann Hospital. An older man was last reported in critical condition.
Cy-Fair firefighters believe the carbon monoxide poisoning was caused by a portable generator running in the garage without proper ventilation.
One of the family members was able to call 911 when they started feeling sick.
Dangers of using generators indoors
Cy-Fair Fire Department Captain Daniel Arizpe said the home lost power overnight and the family used a generator inside the garage to power some appliances. Crews believe the family is lucky to be alive.
“Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless. It’s a silent killer,” Arizpe said.
He said because there was no proper ventilation, carbon monoxide gas crept into the home and made the family sick.
"Portable generators are not meant to be used indoors. They need to be, the CDC recommends them to be used 20 feet away from a structure and any kind of vent,” Arizpe said.
He said not doing so can be dangerous and even deadly.
“This particular incident, the fire crews did see that it was about 108 parts per million inside the home which is very dangerous at prolonged amount of time,” Arizpe said.
On average, the EPA states carbon monoxide levels in a home without a gas stove range between 0.5 to 5 parts per million, and 5 to 15 parts per million in homes with properly adjusted gas stoves.
Arizpe said it’s important to know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning which include dizziness, fatigue and vomiting.
Also, he recommends protecting your family by installing a working carbon monoxide detector.