5 others rescued; one victim's call to friend about feeling ill probably saved them
By Lauren D'Avolio & Kent Fischer
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2007 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
PLEASANT GROVE, Texas — One woman died and five others were hospitalized Sunday after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning in a Pleasant Grove home, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman said.
A woman in her 30s was found dead about 2:30 p.m. in the 10400 block of Springhaven Drive. All six victims were found to have high levels of carbon monoxide in their bloodstreams, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Annette Ponce said.
None of the victims was identified. None of the survivors' injuries appears to be life-threatening, authorities indicated.
A 25-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The deceased woman's children - a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl - were taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Another man, whose age was not available, was taken to a Dallas hospital.
Carbon monoxide is "the silent killer," Ms. Ponce said.
"The victims complained they felt paralyzed," Ms. Ponce said.
The six people were defenseless against the odorless, colorless gas.
Veronica Thompson, 38, said her sister and brother-in-law, Cheryl and James Morrison, own the home but don't live there.
"They were having spasms, they were sick, they couldn't move," she said of the people in the house Sunday.
One of the victims was found in the bathroom, and a couple was found in a bedroom, Ms. Ponce said. Five of the six were conscious but woozy when rescue teams arrived after a 911 call placed around 2 p.m.
Ms. Ponce said the 25-year-old male called a friend early Sunday afternoon and asked him to hurry over because he wasn't feeling well. When the friend arrived at the home, he discovered the others were ill and immediately called 911.
Around 5 p.m., the sixth victim - a man - was taken by ambulance to a Dallas hospital. Ms. Ponce said the home's gas had been turned off and authorities were waiting for the medical examiner to remove the dead woman's body.
The Fire Department is conducting carbon monoxide tests in the home. Ms. Ponce said the Fire Department's initial test for carbon monoxide was negative because the house had been ventilated before officials arrived.
Fellow worshippers at a Baptist church near their Pleasant Grove home knew something was amiss when the home's residents didn't show for Sunday morning services, Ms. Thompson said.
Ms. Thompson said she didn't know the woman who died.
"I just feel bad for her," Ms. Thompson said. "You never know when it's your time to go."
Ms. Ponce and Ms. Thompson didn't know how carbon monoxide seeped into the home.
During winter, when furnaces are in full use, "is the time of year to be carbon monoxide-mindful," Ms. Thompson said. "People just need to be mindful."
CARBON MONOXIDE
What is it?
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas or liquid.
What are the sources?
Some sources include unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, leaking chimneys and furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, fireplaces and tobacco smoke.
What are the effects?
At low carbon monoxide levels, symptoms include fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease. At higher levels, symptoms include impaired vision and coordination, headaches, dizziness, nausea and confusion.
How to reduce exposure: Make sure equipment, especially fuel-burning appliances, are maintained and properly adjusted. Install and use an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors over gas stoves. Open flues when fireplaces are in use. Have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune up the central heating system annually. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that every home have a carbon monoxide alarm.
