MN Couple Suffer Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Power Outage

LAKELAND, MN — Two east metro homeowners were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning Monday after using a gas-powered generator in their garage during a power outage. Their condition remains unknown, authorities said.

Just before 10:30 a.m., Washington County deputies responded to a welfare check at a Lakeland home after residents failed to answer the door for a regularly scheduled appointment.

The home had been without power since Saturday and the two — a 71-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman — had not been heard from since Sunday night, authorities said.

At the home, a deputy smelled exhaust from the open service door in the garage attached to the main home. He found a gas-powered generator running in the garage near the screen door that leads inside the home.

A man and a woman were found unconscious with an empty propane heater in the living room.

Deputies rushed the two outside, where first responders took over medical care and transported them to the hospital.

A deputy was treated at the scene for carbon monoxide exposure and released.

"This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of generator safety and necessary precautions when using gas-powered devices," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

"Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can cause sudden illness or death when inhaled in large amounts. Generators, propane heaters, and other gas-powered warming devices can produce this dangerous gas if not used safely. These devices should always be used outdoors or in well-ventilated areas and away from windows, doors, and vents. It is important to have working carbon monoxide detectors in your home to alert you of any dangerous levels of gas. If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, you should immediately move to fresh air and seek medical attention."