Titusville, FL – A Titusville family and their two dogs were treated for carbon-monoxide poisoning after leaving their generator on inside a closed garage after Hurricane Irma knocked out their power, and two other carbon-monoxide poisonings were reported in Polk County, officials said Tuesday.
In the Brevard incident, two adults and their six children were reporting symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning, including headaches and nausea, Titusville Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Sutton said.
The family had fallen asleep while their generator was left running in the garage of their home in the 1600 block of Gayle Avenue. Sutton said it was lucky they woke up in time to call 911.
When the Fire Department and Brevard County Fire Rescue arrived, the family got out of the house and went to a hospital for treatment, Sutton said. Everyone was conscious.
The Fire Department aired out the home and used canine masks to give oxygen treatments to the family’s two dogs. They also have two pythons, but Sutton said the firefighters did not have the equipment or training to treat the snakes.
Two other incidents of people running generators in garages were reported in southwest Lakeland and in Lake Alfred, a Polk County spokesman said. The victims were treated in an emergency room.
Sutton said the incident should serve as a reminder for all Floridians dealing with power outages in Hurricane Irma’s wake to keep generators outside. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and can be fatal when inhaled.
All across the state, this power is going to be a big deal, Sutton said. This is something that’s going to be going on for a long time.
Sutton said sometimes people try to keep generators inside to prevent theft, but they should be kept at least 15 feet to 20 feet away from homes and buildings. He also said people should not cook with anything gas-fired inside.
Polk officials advise residents to install carbon-monoxide alarms, turn off generators and let them cool before refueling and store generators in labeled containers intended for that purpose.