Fire department issues warning after Plymouth family sent to hospital due to carbon monoxide

The Plymouth Fire Department is issuing a warning after a carbon monoxide incident.

On Tuesday, at approximately 7:15 a.m., the Plymouth Fire Department responded to a 911 call for an odor coming from the basement of a home on Kings Pond Plain Road.

Upon arrival, crews discovered carbon monoxide readings inside the home that indicated there was 75 PPM of CO in the basement and levels of 25 to 30 PPM throughout the rest of the home. The home was immediately evacuated.

An on-scene investigation indicated that a malfunctioning furnace in the basement was the source of the carbon monoxide. The furnace was shut off and the home was ventilated for over an hour.

Plymouth EMS arrived on scene to assess all occupants of the home. Five people, including two adults and three young children, were transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital to receive medical care. Another adult within the home at the time of the incident declined treatment.

A fourth child who went to school prior to firefighters’ arrival was transported by Plymouth EMS from school to an area hospital to receive medical care as well.

All of the patients have since been released from the hospital.

Plymouth Fire investigators remained on scene to inspect the home. According to first responders, there was one outdated carbon monoxide detector in the home and smoke alarms from 1999 that sounded off after firefighters arrived on the scene. Both the detector and the alarms sounded off too late into the incident to alert the home’s occupants.

“It is imperative that every home has working and up-to-date carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms,” Chief Bradley said. “Carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms are instrumental to your safety while in your home as they alert you to potential dangers that may occur.”

The Plymouth Fire Department would like to remind residents of several important safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding carbon monoxide safety:

-If your carbon monoxide detector is sounding, call 911 immediately.
-Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas or coal-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
-Do not use portable flameless chemical heaters indoors.
-Never use a generator inside a home/basement/garage or less than 20 feet from a window, door or vent; fatal levels of carbon monoxide can be produced in minutes.
-Have your chimney checked and cleaned every year, and make sure your fireplace damper is open before lighting a fire and well after the fire is extinguished.
-Make sure your gas appliances are vented properly.
-Never use your oven for heating your home.
-Never let a car idle in the garage.