Harris County has seen more than 300 carbon monoxide poisoning cases as temperatures bottomed out Monday in Houston and the state’s electricity grid failed, sending people scrambling for heat sources. That includes 90 carbon monoxide poisoning calls to the Houston Fire Department and 100 cases in Memorial Hermann’s emergency rooms.
Many of the cases stem from people using BBQ pits and generators indoors to stay warm, said Drew Munhausen, a Memorial Hermann spokesperson. Doctors are treating 60 of those cases at the hospital’s Texas Medical Center location.
“With that number of patients going in, it’s turning into a mini mass casualty event,” said Dr. Samuel Prater, a UTHealth emergency physician who works with Memorial Hermann. More than half the patients were children, Prater said.
More than 1 million people lost power in the Houston area as demand for electricity soared during the coldest night in 32 years.
Other hospitals are also treating people who have gotten ill from unsafe heating practices. Ben Taub Hospital has treated four cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, while Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital has treated 10 cases since Monday afternoon. Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center has seen five cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in the last day, according to the hospital.
Several people have already died seeking warmth. A woman and an 8-year-old girl died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Sharpstown, while a man and a 7-year-old boy were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Three children and their grandmother died in a Sugar Land house fire after using the fireplace to heat their home.
To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, experts said people should avoid running their cars to stay warm in garages, using generators and grills inside or turning on ovens to heat homes. If using a fireplace, keep an eye on the flames, make sure the chimney flue is open and stay awake while the fire is burning.
- Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Confusion
- Vision changes
- Ringing in ears
- Loss of consciousness
The Harris County Fire Marshal’s office is trying to broadcast advice on preventing hypothermia, but many of the folks who need the tips are without power and internet, making it hard to get the message out, said spokesperson Rachel Neutzler.
“They’ve been without heat for over 30 hours now and trying to protect their families by doing the best way they know how,” Neutzler said. “Unfortunately, all these carbon monoxide poisonings are preventable.”
As of midday Tuesday, first responders were taking at least 10 people from one household in Klein to hospitals for treatment.
The fire marshal’s office expects numbers to increase as more local EMS services report cases and freezing rain and more dangerously cold temperatures from another winter storm rolls through Texas this week. Many people are recognizing the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning themselves and driving to hospitals to seek treatment.
Chimneys, candles and overworked heating devices are also driving a spike in house fires, according to public health officials.
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