Shrimpers sought shelter from Laura in Texas. Generator fumes may have killed them
Three people have died and six others were taken to a Texas hospital after suffering from possible carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to escape Hurricane Laura, multiple media outlets reported.
Officials with the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management said the deaths were discovered Friday morning in the Port Arthur area after police responded to a game room, according to ABC13.
Four of those hospitalized are in critical condition and the other two are in stable condition, KFDM reported.
Jefferson County Precinct 7 Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett said the three shrimpers who were confirmed dead were seeking shelter from the storm, 12 News reported. An autopsy on the three has been ordered by Burnett.
Port Arthur is located about 90 miles east of Houston.
A spokesperson for the Medical Center of Southeast Texas said that another carbon monoxide incident happened overnight Thursday and 17 people were treated, 12 News reported. All were reportedly released except a child who was taken to a hospital in Houston.
People affected by the hurricane have been using generators due to power outages, which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning if in an enclosed structure.
The Port Arthur Police Department posted warnings on Facebook in the wake of the deaths.
Texas isn’t the only state reporting deaths as a result of generator fumes. A family of five in southwest Louisiana was killed after fumes entered the house from a generator running in the garage, according to WBRZ.
“Carbon Monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas, which can cause sudden illness and death, is produced any time a fossil fuel is burned,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Carbon Monoxide poisoning yields 1,200 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits annually, the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association reads.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 2:15 PM.