Eau Claire, WI – It’s been a busy few days for the Eau Claire Fire Department because of the Fourth of July, and things didn’t slow down Thursday morning.
Crews were called to a home on First Reserve in Shawtown for a carbon monoxide alarm.
News 18 spoke with the homeowner, who said the house lost power Wednesday night, so he attached a generator to the refrigerator to keep food from spoiling, then left to spend the night a nearby motel.
When Xcel Energy crews arrived to fix the power Thursday morning, they saw the generator running inside of the house. When no one answered the front door, they called the fire department, afraid someone may be inside.
Luckily, no one was home or hurt, but officials said this is an important warning for the community.
“If you are going to run a generator, or a gas engine, make sure it’s outside,” said Captain Tony Biasi, with the Eau Claire Fire Department. “And, if you’re going to use electrical equipment inside, run your extension cords from outside and don’t put your generator inside.”
Officials said carbon monoxide can fill a room quickly, but it usually doesn’t take long to ventilate an area either. They said the residents were able to return home later Thursday morning.