Feb. 12--DENNISPORT -- Firefighters responded to a false alarm at 1:40 p.m. Monday and discovered victims of carbon monoxide poisoning at a nearby home.
The Dennis Fire Department responded to a malfunctioning alarm at a home on Knox Road when they noticed a disoriented neighbor across the street, according to a press release.
Capt. Robert Marseglia and firefighters Phelim Meehan, Wayne Mayo and Brian Kelley were leaving the scene when Meehan struck up a conversation with the man. "He just happened to talk to him and noticed something wasn't right," Marseglia said.
The man told Meehan that he thought his family was coming down with something, Marseglia said.
Meehan checked the home for carbon monoxide and found a level of 100 parts per million, Marseglia said. A level of 35 ppm is enough to require a firefighter to wear a breathing apparatus.
The 78-year-old man, his 68-year-old wife and their 43-year-old daughter were escorted from the home and taken to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation, according to the press release.
An investigation revealed the source of the carbon monoxide was a gas generator with an improvised venting system in the home's cellar.
"They were pretty fortunate," said Marseglia, who did not know how long the generator had been running.
The incident was not the only one involving gas poisoning. At about 10 a.m. Monday in Marstons Mills, firefighters responded to a home at 429 Flint St. after the residents complained of headaches and nausea, symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
When Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills firefighters arrived, they found a level of 130 ppm in the home. A gas-powered generator had been running in the garage since the home lost power Friday.
The residents, two adults and two children, were conscious and alert, but were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation.
Generators should never be used inside any enclosed area since the engines emit carbon monoxide, according to a Dennis Fire Department press release.
Copyright 2013 - Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.
