Wilmington, DE – A malfunctioning heater was to blame for carbon monoxide found in a Wilmington home, prompting its evacuation.
After receiving a citizen complaint, officials from the city fire marshal’s office and code-enforcement officials went Wednesday afternoon to the home in the 800 block of Brown St., Wilmington Fire Department Battalion Chief James Jobes said.
They found the house’s heater was not functioning properly, Jobes said, but no one was sickened.
City Fire Marshal Deputy Chief William McKim requested a fire department engine to respond to check carbon monoxide readings, he said.
A crew from Delmarva Poer was called to the scene to secure the gas and verify readings, he said.
Readings for carbon monoxide were found to exceed 100 ppm, Jobes said, prompting fire department units to ventilate the property.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, when the concentration of the odorless, colorless gas reaches and remains above 70 ppm, carbon monoxide causes headache, fatigue and nausea.
With exposure to concentrations of 150 to 200 ppm, disorientation, unconsciousness and death are possible, the commission says on its website.
After the 100 ppm reading was found at the Brown Street residents, Jobes said city officials checked the adjoining property to verify readings there.
Repairs were made to the heater at the originally reported home and the system was rechecked by representatives by the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, he said.
Residents of that house then were allowed to return, Jobes said, but other, unrelated problems were found next door, so occupants of that home were displaced.