CO Alarm Turns into Unexpected Call

 
By Firefighter Jeffrey Giles
February 10, 2023
 

On Thursday, February 9th, while your Reese and Community Volunteer Fire Company members were working BINGO, they were alerted for a routine CO call at 1750. Once on scene Engine 91’s crew started to investigate and noticed high CO throughout the home without a known source. The home which is all electric only had a wood stove that could produce CO, however, it had not been used recently. Due to high levels of CO and the crew's unable to initially find the source HAZMAT 30 was requested for additional meters.


In the search of the basement, there was a discovery of a heat source behind the wall next to the fireplace. Upon further investigation our crews found something burning in excess of 500 degrees behind the wall in the void space of the fireplace. Unbeknownst to the homeowners, this had been burning for over six (6) days. Crews carefully took apart the fireplace to extinguish the fire as well as overall. This heat source was the cause of CO.

The homeowners and their infants were not ill thanks to having a CO alarm in their house.

 
Units: E91, ET94, Chief 9-1
 
Mutual Aid: Hazmat 30