Since the Arctic blast descended on North Texas on Sunday, the Fort Worth Fire Department has received dozens of carbon monoxide calls.
The department says it responded to no less than 26 calls regarding carbon monoxide concerns, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a colorless, odorless, toxic, flammable gas formed by incomplete combustion of carbon and is a by-product of gasoline-powered devices, kerosene heaters, gas stoves, and oil and coal-burning appliances.
In March of last year, The Dallas Express reported that six people at a home in south Fort Worth required hospitalization after an apparent CO poisoning. In that instance, a car left running in the garage had caused a buildup of carbon monoxide in the home.
“It’s kind of interesting in that it will give you headaches and make you do strange things,” Capt. Anthony Jacobs of the Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) Department told The Dallas Express in 2022. “You won’t even realize you’ve passed out on your kitchen floor. … That’s how intoxicating it is.”
According to Jacobs, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases in winter when people use gas devices to stay warm.
It is important to install a carbon monoxide detector and test it monthly, like a smoke detector. Using the device and evacuating a property immediately after it goes off is “your best bet,” Jacobs said.