Trying To Fight The Bitter Cold, 2 Elderly Residents Fatally Poisoned By Generator Inside Garage

LEONI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WWJ) -- Two mid-Michigan residents were found dead on Friday from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning stemming from their garage.

At around 6 p.m., the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety received a call from someone asking officers to check on two people in Leoni Township -- near Jackson -- as they were older and didn't have power.

When officers arrived at the house they found the bodies of the two people in the garage. Police say it appeared that the two were running a generator in the closed garage and died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The two residents -- a 75-year-old man and 70-year-old female -- were found between the generator and the door to the interior of the house. Officers found high levels of carbon monoxide in both the garage and the house.

There doesn't appear to be foul play involved, but detectives are awaiting results of an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

The Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety urges residents not to use gas-powered generators in enclosed spaces. When a generator is used inside an attached garage, especially with the door shut, deadly carbon monoxide gases can make their way into the home.

Friday's low temperature in the Jackson area was around 14 degrees. Hundreds of thousands of residents throughout southeastern Michigan lost power this week when high winds swept through the state.

Warming centers are available throughout metro Detroit to help residents who still don't have power. See the full list HERE.