Family treated for carbon monoxide poisoning

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A family of six is home from the hospital after they used a charcoal barbecue grill in their home to keep warm and we're exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Sunday night, fire crews rescued two adults and four children living in a home near Northeast 160th Street and Northeast Ninth Place and rushed them to the hospital. "They lit up charcoal inside the house and was moving it from room to room, and they asphyxiated themselves with carbon monoxide," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Timothy Castleberry.

The mother of the four children, Julia Saldana, said she does have electricity in her home but no heat, so she sent her husband out to find a heater, but everyone was sold out. "It's been quite busy today. We've sold about 350 and 400 heaters," said en employee at Ace Hardware.

That is why Saldana said they decided to use a charcoal barbecue grill to help warm up their house. The family of six is home and are expected to be OK.

Meanwhile, homeowners are finding ways to keep the cold out of their homes. "The cold comes in and seeps in underneath the door, so I have to put towels underneath the doors. Have to close all the doors to the rooms so we can preserve the heat," said one homeowner.

Saturday night, in Homestead, a family of four was forced out of their home after, investigators said, a space heater in a child's bedroom started a fire.

Those who have the electricity to use the space heaters are considered the lucky ones. Thousands of families in South Florida are without power, as the record demand for electricity during this winter season proved tough for Florida Power & Light to match. FPL said the new all time record high for power was 23,500 megawatt hours, beating a hot summer day in August 2005.

Officials said families who are trying to keep warm should always be mindful of their safety. "It's extremely dangerous to use any fire inside the house. You run the risk of asphyxiating yourself with carbon monoxide, especially charcoal," said Castleberry.

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