Houston woman, little girl die after running car in garage to keep warm
According to authorities, an adult man and another child were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
The state of Texas has endured a winter storm bringing colder than normal temperatures and snow to the southern state. As residents attempt to stay warm amid power outages, an accident has resulted in the tragic death of a woman and child.
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KHOU 11 reported in Houston, two people died and two others were hospitalized as the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Houston Police claimed the family was attempting to stay warm by running a car in their attached garage. The department issued a statement to confirm the news and issue a warning to others who have to find their own methods to stay warm without working electricity.
“Mid West officers and HFD were dispatched to 8300 La Roche on a welfare check. Upon making entry they found two adults and two children affected by carbon monoxide poisoning. The adult female and female child did not survive. The adult male and male child were transported,” the statement read according to the news outlet. “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.”
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In the city of Houston and other areas of Texas, residents are tasked with staying warm in freezing conditions during widespread power outages. According to ABC 13 Houston, more than 1.3 million people in the Houston area do not have electricity however, the downtown area remained lit, although empty.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo shared she contacted CenterPoint Energy Tuesday morning regarding the warm, bright skyline and dark, cold homes.
“They tell me that tonight, they’ve figured out a way to actually pull those buildings offline,” Hidalgo said according to the outlet.
The offices of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a statement to ABC 13 as follows:
“Throughout the day, Mayor Turner has asked people to conserve energy because of the power outages. He had mentioned it in tweets, zoom interviews, and during his news conference. He has been in contact with CenterPoint Energy and others urging them to restore power to Houstonians as soon as possible. CenterPoint has assured the mayor that it is asking its major providers to conserve energy. The mayor encourages everyone to do their share to help during the extreme winter weather.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke with the news outlet about the status of the power outages during emergency weather conditions.
“There’s a separate part of the system that is not working right now, and those are the private companies that generate the power that goes into ERCOT. And it’s those private companies that generate power that are not working,” Abbott said to ABC 13. “They were working up until about midnight last night, but after midnight, some of them literally froze up, and were incapable of providing power, and some are still incapable of providing power.”
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