Underground Fire Concerns in Columbia County | 28/22 News (pahomepage.com)
MADISON, Wis. — The second time was the charm for first responders searching for the cause of elevated carbon monoxide readings at a multi-unit home in Madison early Monday morning.
Firefighters responded to a report of a carbon monoxide alarm sounding at the home in the 900 block of East Johnson Street around 2 a.m. A resident told firefighters the alarm had been sounding for roughly two hours; another resident reported mild symptoms possibly indicating carbon monoxide exposure, according to a Madison Fire Department incident report.
Firefighters traced the highest concentration of carbon monoxide to a rear living area but were unable to identify a source after ruling out nearby vehicles, appliances and a fire pit.
After ventilating the building, firefighters told the residents to call 911 if the alarm sounded again — which it did around an hour and 45 minutes after the first call. One of the occupants reported a wall near the elevated carbon monoxide levels was warm to the touch.
When firefighters returned, they used a thermal imaging camera to identify heat signatures on the wall, the report said. After removing the siding from the outside of the wall, they found smoldering insulation and charred studs near degraded electrical conduits.
“The landmark federal report marked a turning point for the U.S. fire service in 1973. Five decades later, many of its recommendations remain relevant – and unmet”
1973 vs. 2023: Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell on 50 years of ‘America Burning’ (firerescue1.com)
“A team of researchers led by Professor Hiroaki Kitagishi from Doshisha University in Japan has developed a synthetic heme-model compound called “hemoCD-Twins” that acts as an antidote for CO and HCN poisoning. The researchers detail the development of this novel antidote in a recent research article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”
“At 4:02 a.m., firefighters with the Newport News Fire Department responded to a carbon monoxide alarm in the 1400 block of Waltham Lane. While investigating the alarm, a fire was discovered in a neighboring town home…
Investigators believe a working smoke alarm alerted the victim to the fire, but they were unable to get out of the house…the fire department identified the victim as 36-year-old Mia Evans, a Navy veteran who was working as a registered nurse in the area.”
Person dies after residential fire breaks out in Newport News (wtkr.com)
“Fire officials later said after an investigation, they determined that the initial carbon monoxide response was directly related to the fire inside Evans’ home. When firefighters originally arrived on scene, officials say there was no outward indication of fire coming from her home.
As part of the response to carbon monoxide incidents, firefighters employ devices designed to detect hazardous gases. When they entered the neighbor’s apartment, their devices detected the presence of carbon monoxide in the air.
As they worked to find the source of the carbon monoxide, they checked neighboring homes and heard a smoke alarm sounding off from inside Evans’ apartment.
Crews went inside the home, encountering heavy smoke. They extinguished a fire on the first floor and found Evans unresponsive.”
Navy veteran, registered nurse identified as victim of Newport News townhome fire (wtkr.com)
“Because many nonresidential buildings are places where people gather, they hold the greatest potential for a mass casualty incident to occur.”
Nonresidential Building Fires (2017-2019) (fema.gov)
“If you can see your way, stay under the smoke,” Enterline said. “That’s where the oxygen is. Our habitual human instinct is to walk. That’s just what we do. Stand up. But that puts you right into the smoke layer where the fire effluent is. That’s where all the toxic gasses and fumes are. It’s really a cocktail of death. You want to stay under the smoke layer and crawl out.”
“The East-Central District Health Department said they were notified Thursday of a smoldering coal fire at the ADM plant in Columbus which had been burning for weeks. The Columbus Fire Department extinguished the fire now…officials warn, if you live near the facility or south of the loup canal — you are encouraged to install carbon monoxide detectors.” Every home should have CO alarms installed.
Charlotte, NC: “Around 4 a.m., fire crews responded to carbon monoxide alarms going off at an apartment complex…When they got there, firefighters heard the alarms and forced their way into an apartment on the second floor where they found a smoldering fire in the kitchen.”
Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in woman’s east Charlotte apartment death – WSOC TV
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/officials-consider-next-steps-as-mine-fire-burns-hundreds-of-feet-underground/?fbclid=IwAR22XeL6ZwG2sfbk5DMReVAHrc7HdzpqtGJ0FDBDQo_i5Y4qcP1b9pDCx5k
Wilkes-Barre, PA – “Nearly seven years after the mysterious death of Laurie Merritt, the unsolved case is getting a fresh review. Merritt, a 51-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a fire at her home in Wilkes-Barre on April 14, 2014.”
“Addilyn said she learned about fire safety from her grandfather, who was a firefighter.”
‘Conception’ Coroner Reports Reveal Victims’ Attempt to Escape
“High levels of carbon monoxide spewed by a faulty oil burner that caught fire in the basement of a Lower Manhattan apartment building sickened 34 people Tuesday morning, according to the Fire Department…All 12 stories of the building between Murray Street and Park Place, along West Broadway, were evacuated…The incident occurred in the basement of the Amish Market, a grocery store in the building.”
“…new knowledge about CO poisoning suggests that chronic exposure to CO-induced free radicals may, in fact, be a major occupational risk factor for cardiovascular disease and early death. Furthermore, exposure to cyanide and other toxic gasses may compound the effects of CO in firefighters…”
https://firerescuemagazine.firefighternation.com/2009/03/20/the-perils-of-co/#gref
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