Carbon monoxide hospitalizes 2 people in Kennewick. Plus fires damage 2 homes

Seven people are without homes in Kennewick after two separate fires damaged homes over the weekend.

Kennewick fire crews continue to investigate the cause of both a Friday blaze on South Irby Street and a Sunday house fire on West First Avenue, Chief Chad Michael said in news releases.

Blustery winds on Friday night fanned the flames inside a carport at 511 S. Irby St. shortly before 9 p.m. Firefighters arrived within two minutes of the call to find an attached carport engulfed.

People in the house had gotten outside safely before firefighters arrived.

The fire was out within 10 minutes but it had spread into the attic above the carport and into the home.

A family of three were temporarily displaced because of the smoke damage inside the house, but Michael said it could have been much worse.

The Tri-Cities was hit by a ferocious windstorm Friday night that saw wind speeds of more than 50 mph and as high as 69 mph.

“The substantial winds in the region ... helped the fire grow rapidly before fire crews arrived on scene,” he said in the release. “A delay of another minute or two would have resulted in significant fire spread into the house.”

West First Avenue fire

The winds were calmer when firefighters were called out to another fire at 1:30 a.m. Sunday at 2309 W. First Ave.

Someone in the house initially called 911 and then hung up. When dispatchers called back, the person said the house was on fire.

Three adults and a child were inside when the fire started outside of the house near the garage and a bedroom window, Michael said in a news release. A Kennewick police officer helped them escape before firefighters arrived.

Fire crews discovered flames as high as the roof were threatening the garage and a bedroom. Michael told the Herald that the quick action by firefighters helped keep the fire from spreading into the house.

No one was hurt but the family had to stay somewhere else because of the damage.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Two people were taken to the hospital early Friday after running a generator inside one unit of a duplex on the 600 block of South Fir Street.

A neighbor called for help at 6:30 a.m. after finding three people inside the home “experiencing an altered level of consciousness,” Michael said in a news release.

Two were semi-conscious outside of the house and a generator was still running inside, when emergency crews arrived.

The carbon monoxide levels at the doorway was more than 160 parts per million. That concentration of carbon monoxide is potentially fatal for anyone who spends any length of time in it.

When carbon monoxide levels rise above 70 parts per million, people can start experiencing headaches, fatigue and nausea, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

At more than 150 ppm, people can start experiencing disorientation, fall unconscious and die.

Two of the residents were taken to a local hospital, Michael said. A third person left before emergency crews arrived.

No one else in the neighboring unit was by the carbon monoxide, said officials.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency advises people to not use generators inside of their homes or partially enclosed spaces because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.