Woman, Girl Die From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Using Running Car to Stay Warm in Texas Freeze
Pike Electric service trucks line up after a snow storm on February 16, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought historic cold weather and power outages to Texas as storms have swept across 26 states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

A Texas woman and one of her children died Monday night after they used their vehicle to keep their home warm during a winter storm and a power outage.

According to a Crime Online report, the two died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the woman started a vehicle in the attached garage to use the vehicle's heating system to warm their Houston home during the rare cold weather.

Police said aside from the woman, and the eight-year-old girl, who did not survive, an adult male and a seven-year-old boy were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

"Mid West officers and HFD were dispatched to 8300 La Roche on a welfare check. Upon making entry they found two adults and two children affected by carbon monoxide poisoning," Houston police said in a statement.

Police also included a warning against using outside appliances inside the home, noting that cars, grills, and generators should not be used in or near a building. Authorities have not yet identified the victims.

Power Outage in Texas

CenterPoint Energy officials have tweeted to warn customers to prepare for the possibility of additional power outages. Officials noted that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) directed them again to reduce electric system load.

CenterPoint has said that they plan to restore power once there is sufficient supply that could allow them to do so. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for the resignation of the ERCOT members. He said this week's unprecedented power outages is a "total failure," according to an ABC 13 report.

More than 1.2 million customers had power restored by late Tuesday afternoon. There still remained around 3.1 million customers still without power.

CenterPoint noted that some of those customers still without power may continue to experience no heat and lights for days. This statement came ahead of another forecast winter weather system that would bring freezing rain and more days of extremely cold temperatures through the rest of the workweek.

But CenterPoint also offered some goods news by saying that it expected to restore power to a large portion of the affected customer by Wednesday.

Grid managers have already declared an emergency after the record-breaking energy use strained utilities beyond capacity. At least 20 deaths have been reported in connection with the winter storm, with causes ranging from car crashes to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to an Associated Press report.

The weather has also threatened to pose a threat to the nation's vaccination effort. President Joe Biden said that delays in vaccine shipments and deliveries were likely.

The National Weather Service was surprised how swiftly the storm intensified, and at the time wherein most people are at home and in bed, which creates a dangerous situation, according to Ed Conrow, Emergency Services Director.

Texas officials have already requested 60 generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and planned to put them first in hospitals and nursing homes. The state has opened 35 shelters to over 1,000 occupants.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said over 500 people sought comfort at one Houston shelter, but other warming centers were closed due to the power outage.