Fort Myers, FL– Two adults are dead and two children and one adult are currently in the hospital after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning due to the misplacement of a portable generator.
The incident occurred at a home on Fifth Avenue in Pine Manor in Fort Myers on Tuesday.
South Trail Fire Rescue reported that they arrived at the scene to find the family of five lying unconscious on the ground with no one else around.
Officials quickly found the source of the family’s illness when they located a generator that had been left running inside the living room of the home.
“The exhaust is poisonous, that’s what carbon monoxide does, it poisons your body,” Amy Bollen said.
According to the report, the family of five lost power to their home and made the fatal mistake of hooking up a generator inside.
“This is something that hurts the heartstrings of everybody, not just the community of where this occurred, but just also our first responders,” Bollen said.
The South Trail Fire Rescue has posted generator safety reminders on its Facebook page in hopes that no other family will experience this tragedy.