Belmont Fire Log: Sulfur Smell? Gas Alarms? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Maximum Overdrive

Dec. 30 – Just before 10 p.m., a kitchen utility on Channing Road was acting up and started flaring. The fire personnel that arrived shut off the offending stove by switching off the circuit breaker.

Outside, not inside

Jan. 3 – It was an early-morning call to lower Common Street when a resident discovered that they had locked themselves out of their own house. The fire department did wait until the police could verify the person on the outside should be let back inside. 

Alarms going off? Turn them off! 

Jan. 3 – Just 10 minutes 'til midnight, Engine 1 took a left out of Fire Headquarters heading to the town's tallest residential building in Cushing Square for an incident involving a natural gas leak in an apartment on the sixth floor. But fire crews began picking up high CO readings – at 120 parts-per-million – at the front door, then found gas amounts around 70 ppm in the lobby and stairwell. Ladder 1 and the Rescue unit were then called to the scene. It soon became clear to firefighters that by the overwhelming sulfur odor and the amount of exhaust coming from the heating vents that there was a significant problem with the heating system. Fire crews then entered each apartment and discovered that all but three had elevated levels of carbon monoxide. Residents told fire personnel that despite the increasing sulfur smell and the blaring CO alarms – some had been going off for more than five hours – most residents didn't feel sick so they simply disconnected the alarms and failed to report anything to the fire department. To put a cap on the incident, the plumber called to fix the heating system said he could not repair them and shut them down leaving the residents without warmth on one of the coldest nights of the year

Smokey heat

Jan. 4 – Just after 5 p.m., Engine 1 was sent to a two family on Chester Road for a possible fire or smoke in the basement. Fire crews did find a light smoke condition in basement but no fire. Turns out that the heating system for the second floor was not running properly. The system was shut down, the basement ventilated and the homeowner was told to notify a service technician.

Emerson gas leak

Jan. 4 – Ten minutes 'til 8 p.m., Engine 2 was sent to the area near the intersection of Emerson Street and Louise Road for a report of a gas odor on the street. And there was an intermittent smell of Mercaptan in the area. National Grid, the town's gas supplier, was notified and came by.

Back to Louise

Jan. 5 – At a quarter past 3 p.m., fire personnel arrived at the corner of Douglas and Louise roads to investigate ... wait for it ... a natural gas leak. After making sure none of the gas leaked into any basements in nearby homes, National Grid was called.