Lucas, TX – The two men that were found deceased in a work van in Lucas on Wednesday are a father and son.
Authorities say the bodies of 49-year-old Ross Powell and his 72-year-old father Lyle were discovered in the lawn care van. The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office says the two men died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
On Wednesday, five first responders who arrived at the scene were sent to Medical City Plano after being overcome by fumes from the vehicle.
By 7:45 p.m. they had all been released from the hospital.
The Collin County deputy first on the scene opened the door to check on the men who he found to be deceased, and was overcome by the fumes and taken to a local hospital with respiratory issues.
He is in stable condition.
Four Lucas firefighters were also affected by the fumes from the van and taken to an area hospital to be checked out.
Fire units have geared up in hazmat suits and are planning to pull the bodies from the van.
The medical examiner’s office has ruled their deaths as accidental.
Our assumption is that it was some sort of chemical reaction but you know lawn service trucks drive up and down the road every day and we are not for sure what could have happened, said Chief Brent Parker of Wylie Fire and Rescue on Wednesday.
The Collin County Sheriff’s Department said it appears the van rolled to a stop in the cul-de-sac off Thunder Bay Drive and Enchanted Way.
At the vehicle, the Wylie Fire Department tested the vehicle and no chemical fumes were detected.
Firefighters think they may have dissipated when the deputy left the door to the van open.
They also think deputy may have inhaled most of the fumes when he opened the door.