Carbon poisoning blamed for 4 dead near Seattle

SEATTLE, Dec 19: Four family members were found dead in a home near Seattle of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in the latest deadly case of gas generators being improperly used after electrical power was knocked out in the area, a sheriff spokesman said.

A fifth person, who is in critical condition, was also found in the house in Burien yesterday, a Seattle suburb where electricity went down during last week's powerful windstorm that toppled power lines and caused extensive damage.

King County Sheriff Spokesman John Urquhart said the victims appeared to be a mother and father with three sons aged 14, 21 and 23. Four were pronounced dead at the scene and the identity of the survivor was not immediately known, Urquhart said.

In the wake of the storms and as power crews work to restore electricity throughout western Washington, carbon monoxide poisoning from generators running indoors without proper ventilation is becoming a major problem.

Gov Chris Gregoire said more than 1,000 people in the state have been treated with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning in the past four days and a doctor at a nearby hospital with a hyperbaric chamber to treat victims called it an epidemic.

''This has the potential to be the worst case of carbon monoxide poisoning in the country,'' Dr Neil Hampson, director of Virginia Mason Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, said in a weekend interview with local newspapers.

The deaths lifted the number of deaths from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in the Seattle area to six following last week's powerful storm. In total, the death count associated with the storm rose to 12, which includes car accidents from falling debris and house fires started by candles.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still remain in the dark, many relying on gas generators to keep the lights on and heat running.

Reuters