Two North Andover families deal with carbon monoxide scare

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — A generator is now providing power for two families in North Andover after a carbon monoxide scare on Monday.

“When we arrived on scene we could hear the CO detectors going off informing us there was a CO incident," said North Andover Deputy Fire Chief Graham Rowe.

Some of those detectors were provided by Columbia Gas. The company finally made repairs at 27 and 29 Garden St. in mid-November, adding the new detectors as part of an agreement with local fire departments after the September gas surge that knocked out service for thousands of residents.

“They were done on the 16th. I believe they got their gas back on the 18th and it was working fine up until that point," Rowe said.

Columbia Gas crews replaced a valve on one of the units but did not replace the entire unit. The exact cause of the carbon monoxide leak inside 29 Garden St. is unclear, but firefighters said it was bad.

“They pulled out their meter and walked in the door to check to see what the levels were," Rowe said. "When we initially walked in you could see the levels rising.”

At one point, levels exceeded 1000 ppm (parts per million). Headaches and nausea begin when levels rise above 70 ppm.

“It started in the basement and worked its way up each floor. At the point he told me the gas levels were that high, we shut the gas off to the house," Rowe said.

The investigation is focusing on the boiler in 29 Garden St. Columbia crews were at the home on Wednesday, and removed the boilers and water heaters from both units, and will replace them.

In the meantime, the generator will provide heat and light as problems from the Sept. 13 gas surge persist.

Cox Media Group