Police and firefighters responded to the house in Houston to get a welfare check, where they discovered two adults and 2 kids experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Houston Police Department. A girl and woman were declared dead and a boy and man had been transported into a hospital, authorities said.
The house was among several across Texas to be struck by widespread electricity outages from the infrequent winter storm. Due to the outages throughout the country, some households used cars in garages or indoor generators for electricity and heat.
"Initial signs are that car was operating in the attached garage to make heat as the electricity is out," in accordance with the section. "Automobiles, grills, and generators shouldn't be utilised near or in a construction."
At Fort Worth, about 250 miles north of Houston, the Cook Children's Medical Center treated at 13 children -- some as young as 5 years older -- to get carbon monoxide poisoning this past week.
The Fort Worth Fire Department and Houston Fire Department (HFD) stated they've responded to over 210 calls associated with carbon monoxide within the previous two days.
"DO NOT heat your house utilizing a cooker, oven, or grill. Simply use generators out. Always back your automobile completely from the garage prior to idling," that the HFD composed on Twitter.
The lethal winter storm left millions in the country without electricity as historical snowfall and single-digit temperatures produced a surge in demand for power to heat up houses, buckling the nation's energy grid and causing widespread blackouts.
At least 20 people have died from weather-related deaths, such as four relatives who perished at a Houston-area home fire whilst utilizing a fireplace to remain warm.
