Richard Dean Prudenti | The Morning News (Northwest Arkansas)

BENTONVILLE -- Ventilation is the key to life if you are without power and using a gas fireplace, a propane heater or a carbon monoxide-producing power generator.

A woman contacted the Bella Vista Fire Department on Thursday after she felt light headed and became concerned about a possible carbon monoxide problem at her house in east Bella Vista, said Fire Chief Henry Thompson.

Personnel came to her house and found a power generator outside her home was causing high levels of carbon monoxide throughout the house, which was without power.

"It's good not to have any carbon monoxide," but some parts of the woman's house had carbon monoxide at toxic levels, Thompson said.

Power outages caused by last weekend's ice storm have led to some families in Benton County using generators, power heaters and other appliances in their homes.

The Bella Vista woman had ventilated the generator, but wind redirected the carbon monoxide into the house. The woman, whom Thompson declined to identify, was not harmed nor was she taken to the hospital, Thompson said.

Officials typically advise property owners to shut off their appliances and ventilate the area when they suspect dangerous gases.

"If it is a gas appliance, we tell them to call the people that installed it. Or, if it's just a kerosene heater, then leave it off," Thompson said. In this case, "We advised her to leave, and she said she had a relative that was in the gas business that could fix it."

Improper ventilation runs a risk of death, as was the case in Bella Vista earlier this week.

Lisa Hardin and Rick Lofton of Bella Vista died after being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes in their home Tuesday night. Fumes from a power generator leached from a crawl space into the home, according to investigators.

Officials recommend not using such devices, but instead seeking warm shelter elsewhere -- either at a friend's house, motel or at a designated emergency shelter. If this is not possible, a person can invest in a carbon monoxide detector and open at least one window about an inch to allow ventilation.

"Even a small little camp heater is still going to put out that carbon monoxide. You are still going to need some air movement," said Lt. John Scott of the Bella Vista Police Department.

People also shouldn't throw blankets over the window or doors, Scott said, emphasizing the need for air circulation between the inside and outside of a building.

Carbon monoxide exposure can produce nausea, headache or light headedness. Anyone having those symptoms may call 911 to ask emergency personnel to check for the dangerous gas, authorities said.