New federal warning: Keep generators 25 feet from homes

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A new federal warning has been issued, prompted by our Combating Carbon investigation. If you own a stationary generator, safety officials now recommend placing it at least 25 feet from your home. The urgent guidance follows a four-year federal study into carbon monoxide poisonings across Southeast Louisiana.

For the first time, the full scope of this hidden danger is being revealed. A federal report shows carbon monoxide entered 105 homes in the days following Hurricane Ida in 2021, when much of the region was without power.

“We almost lost our entire immediate family, and we didn’t even know it could happen,” said St. Tammany Parish resident Lynn Moore.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, conducted the study. Its findings: more than a dozen people fell ill from carbon monoxide exposure after Ida. Twelve of the 105 homes had residents experiencing symptoms. In one case, nine people in a single home got sick.

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“You could wipe out generations in one quick breath. They call it the silent killer and it really is, we had no idea, no idea,” Michelle Babin commented.

Moore and her daughter, Michelle Babin, were among those affected. Carbon monoxide from a stationary generator seeped into their home.

Moore recalled, “About 2:30 Wednesday morning, the carbon monoxide detector just starts screaming, carbon monoxide detected.”

Paul Leblanc of Harahan had a similar experience.

“It was really scary actually to think that this happened this way,” Leblanc remembered.

The CPSC’s 32-page report, compiled using data from Southeast Louisiana fire departments, calls for urgent action. It recommends that generators be placed a minimum of 25 feet from homes to prevent carbon monoxide from entering through windows or soffits. The report also includes images showing how improper placement allowed the gas—known as the “silent killer”—to enter homes.

“They looked into it and thankfully they did and they’ve come out with some good information in figuring that there was a problem happening in Louisiana and one that could probably happen across the country,” said Ken Pastorick of the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The fire marshal’s office played a key role in alerting federal authorities.

Pastorick explained, “We were receiving reports of carbon monoxide detectors going off and people getting ill and so we realized there was an issue so we looked into it and reported it to the CPSC and let them know that we believed there was an issue here.”

The CPSC report even references our Combating Carbon series, which investigators reviewed as part of their research.

Patty Davis with the CPSC said, “When we get a report of an injury or a potential injury, that’s when we step in.”

The agency also reached out to people featured in our coverage, including Moore.

“I asked them point-blank, what are you going to do about this? You know, we’ve had bills passed, we’ve had codes passed, we’ve had news releases, attorneys, what are you going to do? And she said, we are the federal government, we can make changes,” Moore remembered.

Currently, the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA, recommends that stationary generators be installed at least five feet from a home. While these are voluntary codes, many municipalities, including Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, use them as guidelines. In light of the new report, that five-foot standard may no longer be sufficient.

NFPA engineer Val Ziavras said a technical committee, composed of outside experts, is reviewing whether the current guidance should be revised to increase the distance.

“It’s one of the hazards that we’re becoming a lot more aware of,” Ziavras said about carbon monoxide.

The committee’s first draft recommendation is expected later this month. Finalizing it could take a year or more. After that, individual jurisdictions will decide whether to adopt the changes.

Ziavras explained, “Every jurisdiction has their own process and what they’re doing to incorporate things into law and what standards they’re using.”

“The local level could proceed with ordinances and codes if they so deemed necessary to do so,” Pastorick said.

Pastorick believes jurisdictions across the U.S. are taking notice.

“I know that it’s something that’s probably circulating around the country, folks are looking at it and considering it. Any place that you’ve got power outages, that’s something that needs to be looked at,” Pastorick explained.

In addition to advising a 25-foot distance, the CPSC report urges manufacturers to produce generators with engines that emit significantly less carbon monoxide.

The report warns: “It should never be assumed that CO from a stationary generator cannot infiltrate the home.”

It’s a warning many in Southeast Louisiana now take seriously after confronting the dangers firsthand.

The state fire marshal’s office emphasizes the importance of having working carbon monoxide detectors—especially in homes with stationary generators.

In fact, our Combating Carbon series helped prompt a change in state law. Now, every home bought or sold in Louisiana must have a carbon monoxide detector installed. That law is also cited in the CPSC report.

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