Texarkana honors resident and firefighters after December carbon-monoxide rescue

Texarkana’s City Council on Jan. 13, 2025, presented a citizen life-saving award to Carrie King and recognized firefighters who responded to a Dec. 5, 2023, carbon-monoxide leak that hospitalised members of a household and registered 542 parts per million (ppm) after initial ventilation.

Council members and Fire Chief Chris Black recounted that King, a friend of the family, followed an uneasy feeling, checked on the household, and facilitated getting the occupants out of the home and calling 911. Firefighters measured carbon-monoxide at 542 ppm after King had opened a window; Chief Black told the council that exposures at that level can cause severe symptoms and can be fatal within two to three hours. Chief Black and council members urged residents to install and maintain carbon-monoxide detectors.

Chief Black described the scene: firefighters donned self-contained breathing apparatus to enter and test the residence, ventilated the home and transported the affected family members to the hospital. The council read a prepared victim statement from the household describing symptoms, the timeline of the incident and the family’s gratitude for King’s persistence.

Firefighters named in the recognition were Danny Douglas (not present; deployed to California wildfire response), Clint Lachowski, Ethan Phillips, Michael Staten, Scott Robertson, Brad McKinnon, Parker Showalter and Ethan Carroll. Council presented life-saving distinguished-service awards to the crew and King and took a group photograph.

Chief Black used the presentation to issue a public-safety reminder: homes with fuel-burning devices or gas heating should have functioning carbon-monoxide detectors. The mayor and council thanked responders and the family for attending the meeting.