Grill 'heater' sickens family of 3 in Paramount
A woman and her two teenage children are treated for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning after using a charcoal barbecue grill to warm themselves inside their home.
A woman and her two teenage children who tried to warm themselves with a charcoal barbecue grill in their Paramount home are being treated for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said today.
Firefighters found the 40-year-old woman semiconscious about 2 a.m. today when they were called to her home in the 16600 block of Orizaba Avenue, said Capt. Steve Powell of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
She was taken to a hospital, along with her 18-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, who were alert but dizzy from breathing excessive carbon monoxide, said Inspector Ron Haralson of the county Fire Department.
Firefighters found the grill -- described as slightly larger than a Hibachi-style grill -- in the living room, and the carbon monoxide level was nearly four times the danger threshold, Powell said.
The rented house was not well ventilated and did not have smoke detectors, Haralson said.
Wagner is a Times staff writer.
james.wagner@latimes.com
