Mother, 2 children suffer carbon monoxide poisoning from inside generator

A mother and two young kids rushed to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning - making the mistake of running a generator inside their east side Detroit home.

"I tried to plug up a generator and not knowing I probably should've put it outside," said the homeowner. "I had it in the basement with the windows open."

The owner of a home on Montrose said he came home from work to his fiancée and his two young children Wednesday with the generator still running and when, around midnight Thursday he went to turn it off.

"I saw my daughter lying on the floor - passed out," he said. "The way she was gazed over, chattering her teeth, I was instantly thinking brain damage and things like that. A lot was going through my mind."

This father running outside quickly began resuscitating his daughter then, getting his 22-year-old fiancée and his 1-year-old son out as well, quickly calling 911.

"When they got to the hospital, they kind of went over the oxygen mask and put them in the breathing chamber to get the toxins out of their body," the homeowner said.

This father says he had a slight head ache, adding that his fiancée noticed some dizziness.

"I felt it but I was more concerned about getting them out," he said.

"Dad you did a great job getting the family out," said Capt. Christopher Dixon, Detroit Fire Department. "Again we just want to make sure you use those precautions and we never use a generator inside the house. Make sure we have carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors."

With hundreds of thousands still without power Detroit firefighters are reminding everyone to also make sure you have a fire evacuation plan and never place your generators near water.

"Never use them in your home, they must be used outside where they can be vented properly," Dixon said.

And while this father of two has certainly learned his lesson -- he hopes others -- do too.

"I'm just thankful everyone made it out," the father said. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost my children. I don't want to think about it."