BROCKTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Officials are warning people about the dangers of running generators inside their homes after multiple people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms on the South Shore.
A child called dispatchers around 11 p.m. Thursday to report that their mother was not feeling well inside their Brockton home on Menlo Street, according to Brockton fire officials.
Firefighters arrived and discovered that a generator was running on the first floor of the building and was producing a lethal amount of carbon monoxide, the fire officials said.
Five family members, including three adults and two children, were transported to an area hospital.
“They weren’t all unconscious or semi-unconscious, but they weren’t the same as their normal behavior,” said Brockton Fire Deputy Chief Joseph Solomon.
Fire officials say that if they had stayed inside for a couple more hours they could have died and the fact that they live in a large house is what likely saved their lives.
Emergency crews also responded to a house on Pleasant Street in Hanson around 4 a.m. for a report of carbon monoxide alarms sounding.
Firefighters discovered slightly elevated levels of carbon monoxide inside the house, which was being run on a generator, fire officials said.
Emergency crews transported two of the residence’s occupants to a hospital for evaluation.
While ventilating the home on Pleasant Street, the Hanson Fire Department received a 911 call for a report of people not feeling well at a residence on Crescent Place.
Firefighters arrived and found extremely high levels of carbon monoxide inside the house, fire officials said.
Three people were transported to a hospital for an evaluation.
A generator was discovered running in the home’s attached garage, fire officials said.
The house also reportedly did not have working carbon monoxide detectors.
Officials are reminding residents who are using generators amid widespread power outages to keep them away from their homes.
“If you’re going to use them, you’ve got to follow the safety guidelines,” said Brockton building inspector George Depina. “They’ve got to be well-ventilated, preferably outside.”
The Mass. Emergency Management Agency says generators should be kept outside because they produce carbon monoxide, which can be deadly.
The Mass. Department of Fire Services added that generators should face away from doors, windows, and vents and should not be put inside a garage, even if the door is open.
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