4 die in Clackamas County from carbon monoxide poisoning amid storm
At least 20 dead across nation as storms leave millions without power
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP/KTVZ) -- As thousands of Oregonians remained without power in the Portland area and crews raced to restore service came word Tuesday that four people died near Portland in recent days from carbon monoxide poisoning.
In a Facebook posting, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said the county medical examiner had confirmed the four deaths over the weekend. Three resulted from "faulty propane heating sources in trailers," the agency said, and the fourth "from the use of charcoal briquets inside a home."
"In addition to these deaths, first responders have seen several other close calls," the sheriff's office said as it urged residents lacking power to not use alternate heating sources, including barbecues, camp stoves or cooktops in their homes -- or generators inside their homes as well.
Sgt. Marcus Mendoza, an agency spokesman, would not confirm the identities of the four people or where they lived.
He did tell the Oregonian/OregonLive that the four deaths were unrelated to a carbon monoxide poisoning incident that sickened six people Monday in Gladstone, southeast of Portland. Four people were taken to a hospital while two others were treated at the scene.
A weekend weather system brought heavy snow across the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle seeing more than a foot fall Saturday through Monday. But it was northwest Oregon that saw the most severe effects as icy conditions downed trees, collapsed roofs and made driving dangerous.
Portland General Electric’s map of power outages listed about 200,000 customers without electricity, while Pacific Power listed about 14,000 in Salem and the Portland area. More than 5,000 power lines in the area had been downed by ice, snow and falling trees.
The winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather has claimed at least 20 lives.
They include three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm.
The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Wind-chill warnings extended Tuesday from Canada into Mexico.
