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- Houston Police say a woman and an 8-year-old girl died from carbon monoxide poisoning overnight.
- Police said on Twitter that the family was using their car to generate heat after losing power.
- An adult male and a 7-year-old boy at the home were also treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
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A woman and an 8-year-old girl were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in Houston, Texas, overnight after using their car to generate heat amid power outages from a rare winter storm that battered the South over the weekend.
Houston Police said in a statement on Twitter Tuesday morning that officers found the woman and girl, as well as an adult man and a male child, affected by carbon monoxide while carrying out a wellness check on the home.
“Initial indications are that car was running in the attached garage to create heat as the power is out. Cars, grills and generators should not be used in or near a building,” police said on Twitter.
Police told ABC 13 that the woman was found dead in the car, while the girl was found dead in a condo attached to the garage.
The adult man and the 7-year-old boy were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Officers said the woman who died was speaking to a relative in Colorado on the phone when she passed out, and the relative called police to request the wellness check.
"It's a very difficult time. A lot of people are without power," Lt. Larry Crowson said. "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."
Temperatures in Texas ranged from negative 8 degrees Fahrenheit in Eastland to 5 degrees Fahrenheit in Fort Hood early Tuesday morning, as millions of homes experienced power outages.
The extreme cold blast is predicted to impact the power grid in Texas and other southern states through Tuesday, suppliers said.
Beyond the woman and child who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, another man was found dead on a median in central Houston, and a 60-year-old homeless man was found dead in a van on an overpass near Sheldon. Officials say the men likely died from exposure in the freezing conditions.
At least six people also died in Fort Worth on Thursday in a 130-vehicle pileup on an icy highway.