Woman, 8-year-old girl die after running car to stay warm in Houston home

A woman and an 8-year-old girl died of carbon monoxide poisoning while running a car to stay warm in Texas during power outages caused by subfreezing temperatures, authorities said.

The woman had been sitting in the running car in the garage when she became disoriented and passed out early Tuesday in Houston, news station KTRK reported.

She had been on the phone at the time with a relative, who called authorities, police said.

Police arrived to find the woman dead in her vehicle and the 8-year-old girl unresponsive in their condo, which is attached to the garage, KTRK reported. It was not immediately clear what relation the girl was to the woman.

A man and a 7-year-old boy were also transported to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.

The fatal incident comes as a winter blast caused more than 4 million homes and businesses to lose power.

“It’s a very difficult time. A lot of people are without power,” Lt. Larry Crowson told the outlet.

“I know it’s cold, but you’ve got to be careful about using generators or cars inside a garage, or any type of fire, grill or charcoal grill. Carbon monoxide is odorless and can kill people very easily.”

via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/16/woman-8-year-old-die-after-using-car-to-stay-warm-in-texas-home/

Photo Credit: Houston Police