Falling ice suspected as cause of incident
(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/27)
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By Mike Lauterborn
1/27/11
Fairfield, CT – At 8:05 a.m. Thursday morning, the Fairfield Fire Department received a call from the owner of a home at 128 Smith Street who reported smelling a strong odor of gas. Upon investigation, firefighters determined that falling ice had affected gas service, took measures to stem the leak and contacted Southern Connecticut Gas.
Awaking to over a foot of new snow that had fallen in the Wednesday to Thursday overnight period, the homeowner stepped out to begin digging out.
“As I was brushing off my steps around 7:45 a.m., I smelled fumes,” said the homeowner, who did not want to give her name. “A neighbor and I cleared a furnace exhaust pipe at the back of the house, but we still smelled fumes, so I called 911.”
Navigating her as yet unplowed street, Engines 1, 2 and 3, Ladder 1 and Car 3 were on the scene in minutes.
“The fire department responded very quickly and took things very seriously,” said the homeowner. “They came out in the snow, did a walk through the house, discovered the leak and repaired it.”
Firefighter and shift commander Bob Smith suggested the cause of the leak may have been falling ice that struck the gas meter and said that they tightened a nut on the meter. An SCG technician arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and confirmed that the situation had been mitigated.
As emergency responders began leaving the scene, a town plow came barreling down the road.
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