In Texas recently, a deadly house fire erupted during a blackout which claimed the lives of three generations of Texans who were only trying to stay warm.
It is one of the fatal accidents across a large swath in Texas after gas, power supplies, and water was disrupted by a rare winter storm. Since Feb. 14, more than 50 people have died in accidents directly related to the weather, including fires, poisoning by carbon monoxide, and hypothermia.
The power in Jackie Pham Nguyen's house in a Sugar Land Houston suburb had been out for hours, as were millions of homes across Texas on Monday night. She watched her three children try to keep warm by the fireplace while teaching grandma a card game.
That sight was one of the last things Nguyen remembered before waking up Tuesday in the hospital. A fire hit her home at about 2 a.m., killing her 75-year-old mother, Loan Le, and her children, Olivia, 11, Edison, 8, and Colette, 5.
Nguyen made it out of the house with her friend Mai Bui suffering extensive burns, and they were both admitted to the hospital. While Nguyen sustained burns on her hands, the loss of her children and her mother, she says, is immeasurable.
She said, "My heart is broken," pausing to collect her thoughts. "I'm never going to be the same." She continued, "I'm in this tactical mode crisis now, and I'm just really focused on all these final arrangements because this is the last thing I will do for my children."
Nguyen said she couldn't recall much else of the night. But Doug Adolph, Sugar Land spokesperson, said in an interview, the fire department arrived around 2 a.m. Tuesday, and it took more than an hour to get it fully under control. The mother of three "had to be physically restrained from running back into the house."
According to Adolph, the area had been without electricity for at least eight hours. He said, "Though the fires' exact cause is under investigation, the firenooks in the area are not intended to burn for hours or heat a house, where winter temperatures usually hover in the 60s; they appear to be "small and aesthetic in nature."
"We cannot conclude that was the cause of the fire. We just don't know yet," he continued, "It's possible that the investigation may never identify an exact cause."
Parents of 11-year-old files a lawsuit to power companies over his death
Maria Elisa Pineda's small house beyond Houston had no electricity or heat for far more than 24 hours last week as levels fell to 9 degrees. On Tuesday, Pineda discovered her 11-year-old son, Cristian Pavon, lifeless on his bed underneath a pile of blankets. The cause of death may be hypothermia, according to the authorities.
Today, Pineda is prosecuting two major Texas energy suppliers, arguing that Cristian wouldn't have died if both companies had warned people that the outages could last for days.
The complaint also charges Entergy Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, also known as ERCOT, for failing to protect its independent energy grid from the severe cold snap, which has left millions without fuel, heat, and water.
Pineda is suing both companies for gross negligence. According to the case, the Conroe, Texas family is demanding damages, funeral costs, and a $100 million judgment. ERCOT said during a statement to The Post that before reacting "accordingly," the firm has yet to evaluate the complaint.
