Pensacola, FL – The Gainesville Sun -A man died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator operating inside his home, authorities said.
Kai Paul Perry, 49, was found dead after Escambia County Emergency Services was sent to his home, the sheriff’s office said.
An autopsy was performed, but laboratory results must still confirm the cause of Perry’s death, said Karen Harvell, a medical examiner’s office forensic investigator.
The death cannot be ruled as related to Hurricane Katrina until it is certain the death was caused by the generator, the Pensacola News Journal reported in editions today.
Authorities were called to Perry’s house because no one had heard from him since the hurricane hit Monday. Upon entering his home they found an empty generator and several full gasoline cans.
Hurricane Katrina was also blamed for 11 deaths as it passed South Florida on its way to the Gulf.
A couple in Davie in Broward County also died last week of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator operating in their living room.
Generators need to be placed in a completely ventilated area. Health officials warn that opening doors and windows or using fans will not prevent a buildup of carbon monoxide if generators or other gas-powered equipment are used indoors.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas which is the No. 1 cause of poisoning in the United States each year.
Two people died of carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Dennis because of improper generator use and another died after Hurricane Ivan struck the Panhandle last year.