Fire Log: McLean's Burning Popcorn Problem

Car Running Well Indoors 

Aug. 15 – At 11:17 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a Somerset Street for a carbon monoxide incident. Fire personnel found a vehicle that appeared to have been running in an attached garage. The Cadillac STE4's lights were still on and the vehicles engine temperature was still warm but the car was not running. The homeowner said the car had been parked and shut off in the late afternoon. Firefighters found elevated readings of CO throughout the house. The house was ventilated and the battery was disconnected from the vehicle. The homeowner will have the vehicle towed in the morning and have it checked by his mechanic. Readings were brought back to normal and companies cleared. Occupants denied any ill effects.

Yard Alarm

Aug. 16 – At 5:23 a.m., units were dispatched to a Burnham Street location to investigate the sound of a fire alarm. Ladder 1 found a smoke detector in the rear yard that had been removed from the house. The batteries were still in it and it was activated due to the rain. The batteries were removed and companies cleared.

Blazing Buffers

Aug. 17 – At 1:29 p.m., fire personnel were sent to Howells Road after a fire alarm was activated. Units discovered that contractors working on the premises set off smoke detector while they were sanding the floors.

Burning Popcorn, Day 1

Aug. 18 – At 12:16 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to McLean Hospital. A smoke detector was activated in the first floor kitchen of the east wing. It turned out that a bag of popcorn caught fire inside a microwave.

Burning Popcorn, Day 2

Aug. 19 – At 6:09 p.m., firefighters were again dispatched McLean Hospital. Before they arrived, hospital security reported that the smoke detector was activated by a bag of burnt popcorn in a microwave.

Cascading Water 

Aug. 20 – At 4:14 a.m., units were dispatched to an Olmsted Drive multifamily structure for a broken water pipe. A pipe under the kitchen sink of one of the upper floor apartments cracked causing water to flow through the ceiling of the downstairs apartment. The water also ran through numerous smoke detectors causing them to activate. The affected detectors were removed and the water was shut off and the management company was notified of the situation.