A man and his 3-year-old son are dead and another child is in critical condition after what police believe was a tragic accident in Valley Station. 
 
 Metro police responded to the 9900 block of Plaudit Way on Wednesday morning after a family member found the three in the family's garage. 
 
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 Investigators believe the father turned on the car to warm it up while it was in the garage and that all three people were poisoned by carbon monoxide. 
 
 "This could happen very, very quickly, and it did, in this case," LMPD Lt. Emily McKinley said. 
 
 The three were found by a family member, who called 911. 
 
 When first responders arrived, they found all three unresponsive in the closed garage. 
 
 Juvenal Garcia Mora, 39, and Cruz Isaac Garcia, 3, were pronounced dead in the emergency room at the Medical Center Jewish Southwest. Their causes and manners of death are pending. 
 
 Police closed down streets and escorted an ambulance carrying a 7-year-old girl to Norton Children's Hospital. The girl was last said to be in critical condition. 
 
 McKinley said police hope the tragedy will serve as a reminder to people of the dangers of carbon monoxide. 
 
 
 
 “I know it's the winter months and everyone wants a warm car to get into, but be cautious of the areas and make sure it's a well-ventilated area, because horrible accidents happen like this, and they happen very quickly,” she said. 
 
 The mother of the two children was not home at the time of the incident, but police have notified her. 
 
 McKinley said they don't have reason to believe the incident was anything other than a tragic accident, but they are still investigating the deaths. 
 
 Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. 
 
 It's lighter than air and spreads quickly. 
 
 Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning often mimic the flu -- and include headaches, nausea and dizziness. 
 
 In high concentrations, carbon monoxide can be deadly in less than five minutes. 
 
 AlertMe ||||| Three people died of carbon-monoxide poisoning on Tuesday from a generator that was running inside their Orange County home after Hurricane Irma, the Sheriff’s Office said. 
 
 Four other members of the multigenerational family were taken to Florida Hospital in very serious condition. 
 
 Neighbors in the Kingswood Manor neighborhood near Lee Road — who were still without power Tuesday night — found out about the incident mostly through word of mouth, as helicopters and media arrived on the scene. 
 
 “My cable is out, so I sent my brother a text and he told me what happened,” resident Steve Whipple said. “I drive by them and wave at them all the time.” 
 
 Whipple was among a handful of neighbors gathered outside the home, talking about their damaged properties or the debris on the street. As night fell, the only lights in the area were coming from the Orange County patrol cars blocking Eggleston Avenue. 
 
 Maria Tuzzeo, who is the treasurer of the neighborhood’s board, said she knew the family well and had last seen them Monday, cooking on the street. 
 
 “It’s such a shame,” Tuzzeo said. “To see this, especially when children are involved… It’s a preventable thing.” 
 
 Tuzzeo said a family of five lived in the house, and three of them were minors. 
 
 “They used our park. The kids were out there all the time,” she said. 
 
 Hank Huynh has lived in the neighborhood for about 16 years and said the family often hosted barbecues and birthdays with live music in Spanish. 
 
 “They moved in just a couple of years ago; they’re good people,” said Huynh, who said he was shocked to find out about the accident despite warnings from authorities about using generators safely. 
 
 The Orange County deputy who responded to the home was overwhelmed by the fumes and had to step outside. He was treated at the scene. 
 
 Bianca Padro Ocasio / Orlando Sentinel Three people died and four were hospitalized at a home on Eggleston Avenue in Orange County. Three people died and four were hospitalized at a home on Eggleston Avenue in Orange County. (Bianca Padro Ocasio / Orlando Sentinel) 
 
 Another dozen people in Brevard and Polk counties were poisoned Tuesday by carbon monoxide from generators running in their garages. 
 
 The incidents should serve as a reminder for all Floridians dealing with power outages in Hurricane Irma’s wake to keep generators outside, Titusville Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Sutton said. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and can be fatal when inhaled. 
 
 “All across the state, this power is going to be a big deal,” Sutton said. “This is something that’s going to be going on for a long time.” 
 
 Generators, which release carbon monoxide, should never be used indoors, in garages, or any place that is not well-ventilated, Orange County spokeswoman Doreen Overstreet added. 
 
 People who use generators should have carbon-monoxide detectors installed and keep the generators’ exhausts directed away from the home or any windows or doors. 
 
 In Brevard County, a Titusville family and their two dogs were treated for carbon-monoxide poisoning after leaving their generator on inside a closed garage after Hurricane Irma knocked out their power, and two other carbon-monoxide poisonings were reported in Polk County, officials said Tuesday. 
 
 In the Brevard incident, two adults and their six children were reporting symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning, including headaches and nausea, Sutton said. 
 
 The family had fallen asleep while their generator was left running in the garage. Sutton said it was lucky they woke up in time to call 911. 
 
 When the Fire Department and Brevard County Fire Rescue arrived, the family got out of the house and went to a hospital for treatment, Sutton said. Everyone was conscious. 
 
 The Fire Department aired out the home and used canine masks to give oxygen treatments to the family’s two dogs. They also have two pythons, but Sutton said the firefighters did not have the equipment or training to treat the snakes, which survived. 
 
 In Polk, four people were hospitalized, two in serious condition, after running generators in garages in two separate incidents — one near Lakeland and the other in Lake Alfred — a county spokesman said. 
 
 Sutton said people sometimes keep generators inside to prevent theft, but they should be kept at least 15 to 20 feet away from homes and buildings. He also said people should not cook with anything gas-fired inside. 
 
 Polk officials advise residents to install carbon-monoxide alarms; turn off generators and let them cool before refueling; and store generators in labeled containers intended for that purpose. 
 
 Staff writer Susan Jacobson contributed to this report. ||||| Rodney Todd cared for his seven children, running their Princess Anne household, preparing meals and then working in dining services at a nearby college. For his five daughters, "he did their hair," said Lloyd Edwards, Todd's stepfather. 
 
 All of them — Todd, 36, and his children ages 6 to 15 — were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in their modest, one-story, yellow-siding home on Antioch Avenue on Monday. Police said Tuesday that they died in bed and a power generator with an empty gas tank was found inside the house. 
 
 "It appears as though they were sleeping," Princess Anne police Chief Scott Keller said. "Probably it was bedtime and they decided they needed some light and probably some heat. ... Even though it was spring we were having some pretty chilly nights." 
 
 Edwards said Todd had a generator because the electricity had been shut off at the home. 
 
 Delmarva Power said the home had been without service since March 25, when workers discovered a stolen electric meter and shut off power for "safety reasons." The utility originally disconnected power there in October, before the Todds began renting the home, and Delmarva said no request had been made to reconnect service. 
 
 Shock and disbelief in a small Eastern Shore community. Carbon monoxide claims the lives of a father and his seven children--all found dead inside their home. (WJZ Video) Shock and disbelief in a small Eastern Shore community. Carbon monoxide claims the lives of a father and his seven children--all found dead inside their home. (WJZ Video) SEE MORE VIDEOS 
 
 The police chief said the utility has been subpoenaed to document what happened. Maryland's Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, also is investigating. 
 
 State law prohibits utilities from cutting electrical service for nonpayment of bills from Nov. 1 through March 31, without an affidavit filed to the Public Service Commission. Utilities can terminate service without notice if it finds hazardous conditions or the customer had tampered with equipment. 
 
 Edwards, who was called on to identify the bodies of his seven grandchildren and his stepson, described Todd as "a magnificent father." 
 
 I'm just numb...Like it's a nightmare but it's not. — Tyisha Luneice Chambers, the children's mother 
 
 "His main job was taking care of his seven children," Edwards said. But "he never complained." 
 
 The children's mother, Tyisha Luneice Chambers, told the Associated Press on Tuesday: "If I had known he was without electricity, I would have helped." 
 
 "I'm just numb," she said. "Like it's a nightmare but it's not." 
 
 Chambers said she had been the primary breadwinner when they were together and continued to pay child support until losing track of them in Todd's last move. She said Todd was physically abusive to her. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in 2011. 
 
 Todd's mother and Edwards' wife, Bonnie, identified her grandsons as Cameron and Zhiheem, who were 13 and 7, and her granddaughters, Tyjuziana, Tykeria, Tynijuzia, Tyniah and Tyberyia, who were 15, 12, 10, 9 and 6, respectively. 
 
 Another son of Todd's, Rodney Jr., was not living at the home. 
 
 Bonnie Edwards said she spent every birthday with her son and his children. The two eldest, Tyjuziana and Cameron, watched over their younger siblings as their father worked to put food on the table, she said. The younger ones loved to joke around, ride bikes, play basketball at the playground near their home and challenge each other to dance games on a Nintendo Wii they owned. They all exemplified the best qualities of their father and proudly looked up to him, their grandmother said. For his part, "He knew their likes, dislikes and attitudes," she said. "He knew them from the inside out." 
 
 Todd and the children were discovered after he didn't show up for work for days. His supervisor at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore grew concerned and called police. According to police, she had not seen Todd since March 28. 
 
 Stephanie Wells, the supervisor, joined a number of people who came to the home Tuesday to pay respects. 
 
 "He was private. He was the type of person — he didn't ask people for help," said Wells, 49. "He was just low-key. Took care of his kids." 
 
 Sarah Hardy, 29, and Angela Collins, 38, friends of Todd's, sat outside the home Monday night and all day Tuesday. They couldn't believe he and his family were no longer inside. 
 
 "We're waiting for our brother to come out that door," Hardy said. 
 
 Hardy said she had grown close to Todd after the two were introduced by her child's father. "Our bond grew strong, strong, strong," she said. "He didn't want to call me his friend; he wanted to call me his sister." 
 
 When Hardy heard he had died, "I just rushed down here," she said, adding that she couldn't believe it when she saw the bodies being carried out. "I think they're just ghosts they brought out of the house. I'm still thinking they're in there and they just are quiet and don't want anyone to realize." 
 
 Public safety and health officials say the deaths are another tragic reminder of preventable deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. 
 
 Last year Maryland counted 17 carbon monoxide poisoning-related deaths, 12 of which were suicides, four of which were accidental, and one undetermined, according to the state medical examiner's office. 
 
 A statewide law requires hard-wired carbon monoxide detectors in new dwellings built after Jan. 1, 2008. Officials recommend homeowners install operating alarms outside sleeping areas, as well as one on each level. 
 
 Despite awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, "there is absolutely still work to be done," said Clifford S. Mitchell, director of the environmental health bureau with the state health department. "You end up with a situation where you unfortunately have to warn people every time." 
 
 Mitchell said the challenge is ensuring that people heed the warnings even in "stressful situations" — such as being homeless or without power for a prolonged period after a storm. 
 
 Mitchell said generators should not be used inside the home, and should be kept at least 15 feet from the building. "Even if a generator is outside, if it's close to the house, you have the potential for carbon monoxide entering," he said. 
 
 Dr. Kinjal Sethuraman, a physician at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said generators are a common cause of carbon monoxide toxicity. 
 
 Carbon monoxide poisoning patients are often sent to Shock Trauma because it has a hyperbaric chamber, which is used to treat patients by administering oxygen at higher pressure. 
 
 Last year, the hospital treated 55 patients from Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Virginia with the hyperbaric chamber — compared with 95 patients in 2013 and 65 in 2012, Sethuraman said. She said those figures do not include milder cases in which physicians didn't have to use hyperbaric treatment. 
 
 Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and the symptoms are "nonspecific," Mitchell said.
– A heartbreaking story out of Kentucky, where a father and his 3-year-old son died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning Wednesday morning; the man's 7-year-old daughter is in critical condition. Juvenal Garcia Mora, 39, was found unresponsive inside his garage but not in his car; the children were inside the car. "It appeared to be that he had warmed the car up while it was in the garage, and trying to get the kids out the door to school and start the day," a police rep tells Fox 19. The children's mother had already left for work at the time. Relatives, concerned when Mora didn't show up at work and his daughter didn't arrive at school, went to the house and then called police. The police rep, who said the situation appears to be a "horrific accident," notes that it's a sad "reminder in the cold months to be cautious of running vehicles inside of closed, indoor areas, specifically garages," as that can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. In high concentrations, the colorless, odorless, tasteless gas can be fatal in five minutes, WLKY reports. "This could happen very, very quickly, and it did, in this case," the police rep says. (Carbon monoxide was also suspected in the deaths of six teens in a garden shed.)