BOWIE COUNTY, Texas -- One teen is dead and another is in Arkansas Children's Hospital after a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.
At about 10:25 p.m. Tuesday, the Bowie County sheriff's office received a 911 call in reference to two unresponsive minors at a residence on Twilight Circle near Redwater, Texas. Authorities learned that the home was without electricity and was being heated with assistance of a gasoline powered electric generator, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Two Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrived on scene first and found a 16-year-old girl unresponsive on the front porch, authorities said. CPR was started as authorities entered the home and located a 14-year-old Texarkana boy also unresponsive on the living room floor. Bowie County sheriff's office deputy Scott Lillis arrived and assisted with CPR, according to the release.
Attempts to resuscitate the boy were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said. The other teen was transported to Wadley Hospital and later transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.
Bowie County sheriff's office investigator Kyle Holcomb responded to the scene, and an autopsy was ordered to determine the boy’s cause of death. Authorities said there are no indications of foul play, and it is suspected that carbon monoxide poisoning is the cause of this tragedy.
In the release, the sheriff’s office reminded residents that gas/diesel powered generators, or any combustion engine, are unsafe for indoor use.