Posted: Friday, February 7, 2014
People were doing whatever they could to get the comforts of home during the region’s extended power outage Thursday following Wednesday’s record-breaking ice storm, which is exactly what fire officials feared, as potentially deadly incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning were reported in the area.
Several people were taken to area hospitals Thursday night after a carbon monoxide incident at a house on Loggers Mill Road in Horsham, police said.
One of the injured was flown by Medevac helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the others were taken to Abington Memorial Hospital. Police on Thursday night did not have a number of victims or the extent of their injuries.
Police were investigating the cause of the carbon monoxide exposure Thursday night. Emergency responders initially received a call just after 9 p.m. for a person not feeling well at the home, police said.
In Middletown, fire marshal James McGuire said firefighters responded to four calls overnight Wednesday involving carbon-monoxide fumes in homes using gas generators for power. Several others involved homes in which carbon-monoxide alarms sounded, but homeowners ventilated the dwelling before calling 911, he said.
After responding to one call for carbon-monoxide fumes, firefighters found a generator placed so close to the home the siding on the house had melted, McGuire said. At another call, McGuire found an extension cord stretched from one house to another, six houses away.
In addition, on Thursday morning, firefighters responded to a call involving a powerless homeowner who brought his barbecue grill indoors for heat and cooking.
“People aren’t thinking; it’s cold, people are doing whatever they have to, to stay warm,” McGuire said. “People are just thinking about surviving. People aren’t thinking about the consequences that come with it.”
Roughly 280,000 PECO customers, including 155,000 in Bucks and Montgomery counties, remained without power Friday morning, down from 623,000 outages reported Wednesday following what is described as the second worst storm, damage-wise, in PECO Energy history.
The largest chunk of customers without power remains in Montgomery County, where about 85,000 customers were powerless Friday morning.
The county began distributing federal and state emergency supplies, including generators, ready-to-eat meals, water and other items after a Thursday conference call between the county’s emergency command center and affected communities, officials said.
By 6:30 a.m., the number of outages in Bucks County had fallen to 70,000, but that was little consolation for towns like Yardley, where only 525 of the 1,300 customers had power. The borough was among a dozen municipalities in Bucks County where more than half of the homes and businesses remained in the dark as of Thursday afternoon.
PECO has brought in extra workers from Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and New Brunswick, Canada, to assist in restoring power, spokeswoman Debra Yemenijian said. A total of 3,500 PECO employees were working, including those in the field.
When it comes to restoring power, PECO prioritizes critical customers — hospitals, emergency responders and water companies — Yemenijian said. After that, priority goes to the largest number of customers who are impacted downward, she said. Outage pockets with the fewest customers are typically fixed last.
As of Thursday, PECO anticipated that power to most customers would be restored by Friday evening, but some will be without power until Sunday night.
Across Bucks and Montgomery counties, businesses, community and municipal organizations were operating so-called warming stations where powerless residents could warm up, charge up electronics or enjoy a hot beverage.
Ten people stayed overnight Wednesday at an American Red Cross emergency shelter at Maple Point Middle School in Middletown, shelter manager Ina Katz said. The overnight guests included residents from Buckingham, where roughly 65 percent of residents were still without power Thursday afternoon.
As of Thursday afternoon, 11 people were in the Maple Point shelter with another 28 people staying at a Red Cross shelter at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham. Both shelters would remain open at least through Friday morning.
Katz urged anyone without power to stop in.
“Don’t stay in a cold house,” she said. “That is why the Red Cross is here.”
Middletown public works employees were on the lookout for residents who are staying put — using generators, wood stoves, space heaters and fireplaces to keep warm. They want to make sure they are staying safe, McGuire said.
Bucks County emergency dispatch logged 38 calls for carbon monoxide fumes since Wednesday, county spokesman Christopher Edwards said.
Most of the overnight Wednesday calls involving carbon-monoxide in Middletown, the gas generators were located too close to the home, inside a garage, under a porch or near a window or door, McGuire said. Generators need to be placed outside and away from the building, he said. Officials recommend generators be no closer than 20 feet from the home.
Upper Southampton firefighters responded to a carbon-monoxide call Thursday morning involving a gas generator running too close to a home, Fire Marshal Mark Showmaker said. The generator was stationed about 2 feet from the home and under an overhanging porch, he said.
During extended power outages like this one, fire officials see a lot of people using generators who are not familiar with how they work, Showmaker said. They also worry about setting them up far from the home, afraid it will attract thieves.
In Upper Makefield, where only 240 of 3,700 homes had power as of Thursday afternoon, dirty fireplaces were on the mind of Fire Marshal John Kernan.
A bad chimney fire extended into a home on Bailey Drive Wednesday night leaving it significantly damaged, he said. The homeowners were using a fireplace for heat, but had not had it cleaned recently. A heavy creosote deposit in the chimney led to the fire.
“When the power goes out, people go to Plan B and things can get dangerous real quick,” he added.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
Gas Generators
- ALWAYS use generators outdoors, away from doors, windows, vents or eaves.
- Never use a generator inside a home or closed area such as a garage, even if the space is ventilated
- Install battery-operated carbon monoxide alarms in your home, and test the alarms and replace batteries.
- Keep the generator dry. Operate it on a dry surface under an open canopy like structure
- Dry your hands before touching a generator
- Plug appliances directly into generator or use heavy-duty outdoor-rated extension cord. Make sure the entire cord is free of cuts, tears and that the plug has all three prongs and a grounding pin.
- NEVER plug a generator into a wall outlet.
Avoid Fire Hazards
- Before refueling the generator or space heater turn it off and let it cool at least five minutes.
- Always store fuel outside in non-glass containers
- Use appropriate sized and type of power cords
- Never run extension cords under rugs or through snow, puddles or ice.
- Keep all combustible items at least three feet away from space heaters or wood stoves. Make sure your alternative heaters have “tip switches” that turn if tipped over
- Do not plug multiple extension cords together and string them between homes, especially over roadways or driveways
- Do not coil extension cords as it builds heat and creates a fire hazard
- Use heavy, thick-gauge, short extension cords for large appliances.
- Before refueling the generator or space heater turn it off and let it cool at least five minutes.
- Always store fuel outside in non-glass containers
- Use appropriate sized and type of power cords
- Never run extension cords under rugs or through snow, puddles or ice.
- Keep all combustible items at least three feet away from space heaters or wood stoves. Make sure your alternative heaters have “tip switches” that turn if tipped over
- Do not plug multiple extension cords together and string them between homes, especially over roadways or driveways
- Do not coil extension cords as it builds heat and creates a fire hazard
- Use heavy, thick-gauge, short extension cords for large appliances.
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