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VINEYARD — A woman died after she and five other people suffered carbon monoxide poisoning last week in Vineyard, police said.
On Aug. 7 at 2:51 a.m., first responders received a report people had inhaled gas from a vehicle at a home. When deputies arrived at the home, they found a man lying on the floor unconscious. A car was in the garage and the garage door was open, authorities said.
"When a deputy entered the garage, he noticed the strong odor of vehicle exhaust and was unable to remain in the garage. With another deputy, he reentered the garage, and they removed the man from the garage and began to render aid to him," a Utah County Sheriff's Office news release states.
They also noticed a woman's legs sticking out of one of the car's back seat doors. She was unconscious and carried outside, where deputies found she was not breathing and had no pulse. They began administering CPR until firefighters took over.
The woman was taken by ambulance to Timpanogos Regional Hospital and then flown to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray in critical condition. She was placed on life support and then died on Sunday afternoon. She was identified Wednesday as Angelica Maria Avila Almanza, 24, of Vineyard.
The man found in the garage with her was taken by ambulance to Utah Valley Hospital in Provo. An update on his condition was not released Wednesday.
A 27-year-old woman and three children — ages 4, 2 and 9 months — were inside the home at the time of the incident. They were taken to local hospitals for treatment and then released.
"Investigators believe Avila Almanza and the man were in the garage and may have been running the car motor so they could use the air conditioning. The walk-through door into the home from the garage, and the roll-up garage door were closed during this time, and there was no carbon monoxide sensor in the garage," the sheriff's office noted.
"There were, however, carbon monoxide sensors inside the apartment which eventually activated. Four other occupants of the apartment were awakened by that alarm and left the apartment and called 911. Those four were evaluated ... and released," the office added.
Authorities previously said carbon monoxide levels were tested in adjacent townhomes, and one showed high levels. Emergency crews broke in through a window to ensure no one inside the adjacent home was hurt. Luckily, nobody was home.
