Belmont Fire Log: Snow-Covered Vent Sends Home CO Level Sky High

Alarms would have helped

Feb. 6 – Eleven minutes past 3 p.m., every piece of fire equipment was sent a two-family on Pleasant Street for smoke inside the building. Crews from Engine 2 and Ladder 1 arrived to find the property owner who told the firefighters he smelled smoke while visiting the unoccupied townhouse. He opened the door for the crews where Engine 2 reported a cooking fire confined to the stove top and smoke filling the first floor which Engine 2 personnel extinguished. In addition to leaving food cooking while away, the tenant's apartment didn't have smoke or CO detectors. The property owner was told it would be best to place the devices throughout the townhouse. 

Gas on the menu

Feb. 7 – Engine 1 took off a little past 9 a.m. to a Common Street restaurant for a report of an indoor odor of natural gas. While the firefighter didn't detect CO in the air, they could smell a slight odor when the boiler started up. The owner was advised to check out the system. 

Turn off the fireplace

Feb. 7 – Ever wonder if you left the iron on after leaving the house? How about putting something in the oven and then forgetting about it? The folks at the Beech Street Center called the Belmont Police Department reporting that an employee had left the Center's gas fireplace on after locking up the place. The Engine 1 crew entered the Beech with keys in the lock box and the fire place was shut down properly. The property was securely locked up by the fire department as the crew also discovered the burglary alarm had not been set when they first arrived. 

Blizzard's last gasp falls tree hitting house and cars

Feb. 9 – Just as the blizzard was about to scamper out of the area around 9:30 a.m., it produced one last big blow which sent a large tree tumbling onto a Rutledge Road house on Belmont Hill and onto a pair of cars in the driveway. The main chimney was destroyed so the Fire Department checked on the CO levels around the house: they were normal. 

Snow-covered vent send CO levels sky high

Feb. 9 – A minute before 10 a.m., as the sun began peaking out of the grey cloud cover after 26 hours of snow fall, fire crews were sent to a two-family house on Trapelo Road after the occupant reported that he had abandoned the dwelling due to all the CO alarms going off. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered high levels of natural gas throughout the house. Their investigation discovered the cause: snow was blocking the exhaust vents for his unit's heating system. Fortunately, the gas readings returned to normal after the vents were uncovered and the place ventilated. The building's owner was told to have hte hot water tank looked at by a plumber just in case. 

Stuck inside 

Feb. 9 – A minute after Noon, fire crews were dispatched to a School Street two-family after a friend called for a person at the address who was unable get out of the dwelling due to excessive snow. Firefighters discovered that the doors were not blocked and actually were working just fine. It was just that the property had not been shoveled out.