Driving Rain, Winds Pummel County : Heater Blamed in Death, Injuries

Heavy, driving rain and gusty wind blew into San Diego County Wednesday, snarling traffic and causing numerous accidents, raising fears of flooding, bringing substantial snowfall to mountain areas and even threatening snow in elevations as low as 1,000 feet.

Amid the extraordinary cold spell, an 8-year-old girl died and her parents and younger brother were found unconscious in their Imperial Beach apartment Wednesday afternoon, apparently victims of carbon monoxide fumes from a gas heater, authorities said.

The three survivors were listed in critical condition at UC San Diego Medical Center late Wednesday night.

The storm, which hit the county a few hours later than expected, brought rain near downtown beginning about 10 a.m. It was expected to worsen overnight before spending itself this afternoon.

Snow began to fall shortly after noon in East County mountains and somewhat earlier on Palomar Mountain. Possible blizzard conditions were predicted for Wednesday night and early today at higher elevations, weather forecasters said.

Storm-Caused Accidents

In San Diego, authorities blamed rain-slicked roads for dozens of accidents throughout the area, ranging from fender-benders to multiple-injury crashes. No fatal injuries were reported, although one woman was critically injured when her car plunged 30 feet from Pacific Highway onto Washington Street.

The girl who died in Imperial Beach was identified as Roseanne Keefe. The other three victims were not immediately identified.

Authorities believe that the four had been in the apartment at 580 7th St., Apt. A, for about two days when they were discovered shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday. It was unclear how long they had been unconscious. They were discovered by concerned neighbors or relatives who entered through the unlocked front door, authorities said.

Inside they found the unconscious victims and immediately notified authorities, officials said.

It was not immediately known if the victims were in bed or whether they were ever aware of the danger from the heater.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the death and injuries probably were caused by poisonous carbon monoxide from the apartment’s gas heater. Apparently the heater flue was blocked, said Ed Lynch of the Sheriff’s Department.

The three survivors were taken by a sheriff’s helicopter to UCSD Medical Center. They were placed in the hospital’s hyperbaric chamber which helps remove of the gas from victims’ systems.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of the girl’s death, the county coroner’s office said.

Because of the bad weather, Life Flight helicopters were not sent to the scene, officials said. A sheriff’s helicopter was called and made a difficult landing on 7th Street and Calla Avenue, between power poles and telephone lines, and rushed the victims to the hospital, authorities said.

The forecasts of stormy weather prompted the city to continue operating its emergency center for the homeless at Balboa Park’s Municipal Gymnasium.

Storm conditions were expected to continue until this evening, with occasional thundershowers a possibility. “The brunt of the storm should be through by midday” today, said Harvey Hastrup, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. The threat of showers will nonetheless remain, he added.

Clear skies are forecast for Friday.

By 6 p.m. Wednesday, almost an inch of rain had fallen near downtown San Diego. Forecasters said another inch was likely; the heaviest downpours were expected late Wednesday night. Coastal areas were likely to receive the greatest amounts of rain.

At Lindbergh Field, the high temperature recorded Wednesday was 60 degrees and the low was 49 degrees. Elsewhere in San Diego County, high for the day ranged from 61 in Chula Vista to 34 in Julian and Mount Laguna, while lows varied from 48 degrees in Coronado to 27 in Julian.

The adverse weather in San Diego County was part of a larger winter storm that struck earlier in the Los Angeles area, shutting major highways, including Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles, downing power lines, prompting a rare closing of Disneyland, and causing a freak snowfall on the beach at Malibu.

In perhaps the most sensational accident in San Diego, authorities said that an unidentified woman was in critical condition with multiple injuries after her car went out of control in the northbound lanes of the elevated off-ramp from Interstate 5 to Pacific Highway at 4:18 p.m. The car crashed through a guardrail and plunged 30 feet before landing on its roof on Washington Street. It took rescuers 20 minutes to free the victim from the wreckage. The 40-year-old woman was later reported as being in stable condition at Mercy Hospital. She was to be transferred to Kaiser Hospital.

Because of the snow, chains were required on vehicles traveling in mountain areas--including roads on Palomar Mountain, California 78 east of Santa Ysabel, and California 79 north of Interstate 8. The snow also caused the closure of Nate Harrison Grade near Palomar Mountain in North County.

“We recommend that anyone who has to travel in mountain areas carry chains--and keep their radios tuned,” said a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman.

Strong winds caused warnings to be issued for trailers, campers and other wind-vulnerable vehicles using the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. Near Shelter Island, five boats broke free of their moorings and washed onto the rocks, San Diego Harbor Police reported.

Authorities also warned of possible flooding, particularly in low-lying areas. Officials said they were keeping a close eye on the Palomar Mountain area, site of recent mud slides.

“We don’t anticipate any real serious problems,” said Steven Danon, operations officer with the San Diego County Office of Disaster Preparedness. “We’re advising people to stay inside and not drive unless they have to.”

The National Weather Service issued warnings for heavy mountain snow, high surf of up to 12 feet, and winds of 40 m.p.h. for Wednesday and today.

In addition, meteorological officials issued an agricultural storm advisory, warning that the strong winds and heavy rains could break tree limbs and cause field flooding.

“There’s always that danger, particularly with heavy winds,” Wendy Dietrich, assistant executive director of the San Diego Farm Bureau, an industry group, said Wednesday afternoon. “But so far, we haven’t had any major problems.”

Regarding the homeless, San Diego Assistant City Manager George Penn said that 91 people stayed at the emergency center at Balboa Park on Tuesday night. The storm forecast prompted officials to keep the center open Wednesday evening as well, Penn said.

“We’ll make a decision tomorrow (Thursday) morning as to whether we’ll remain open for another night,” Penn said.

Under city guidelines, the shelter opens under “life-threatening” conditions, Penn explained.

The storm could bring snow to elevations as low as 1,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service, which predicted blizzard-like conditions for the mountains in eastern San Diego County. As much as two feet of snow was possible, buffeted by winds blowing up to 40 m.p.h. The wind chill in the mountains made temperatures feel near 10 degrees, forecasters said.

As of 4 p.m., authorities had reported 1 inch of snow in Julian and Mount Laguna, 2 inches at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and Mount Palomar. However, those amounts were expected to increase significantly during the night.