Odessa, TX – Two women were pronounced dead Wednesday morning after a reported gas leak led firefighters to find them.
Medical Examiner Chief Investigator Chuck Moad said the bodies of 88-year-old Jimmi Lane and 66-year-old Sherrie Wilson have been sent to Tarrant County for autopsy.
Assistant Fire Chief Sam Jordan said they responded to the 4908 Cordova Ave. house at about 8:03 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a possible gas leak.
Jordan said when firefighters entered the house, they quickly received high carbon monoxide readings and left when they found Lane and Wilson.
Odessa police were called to the house, as well.
The deaths are the first carbon monoxide deaths of this fall/winter season, a time when Jordan said more of those types of calls happen.
“People turn their furnace on for the first time and it hasn’t been run since last winter,” Jordan said. “Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless. Most people don’t realize they have a problem until they start exhibiting symptoms.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, although people who are sleeping or intoxicated can die without experiencing symptoms.
Jordan said it’s important for people to have their gas appliances and furnaces checked regularly to make sure they are not leaking.
He also said it’s important to have a carbon monoxide detector, which is different from a smoke detector, although some can do both.