Barrington, RI – In the middle of a significant snowstorm Friday, a Barrington daycare center rushed its kids out of the building due to a minor carbon monoxide condition.
Alarms went off at the Early Learning Center on Sowams Road Friday morning sometime before 10:30. About 18 children were at the center at the time; attendance was lower Friday due to the snow. Caretakers took kids out to passenger vans and a bus, and rescue crews checked them out, but nobody was affected by carbon monoxide at all, according to Richard Johnson, a spokesman for the parent company, Learning Centers of Rhode Island.
A heating unit on the roof had a cracked manifold, which resulted in carbon monoxide readings and set off the alarms, Johnson said. Utility officials and the local fire marshal inspected the equipment, and repairs were made; furthermore, the carbon monoxide levels were high enough to set off alarms, but not high enough to affect anyone, he said.
The center will be back open on Monday.