Working Detector Alerts Family To Carbon Monoxide In Home

A family’s carbon monoxide (CO) detector sounded inside their Manchester Rd. home Monday, prompting them to call the Madison Fire Department to inspect for the deadly gas.
 
Ladder 7 arrived three minutes later and surveyed the home with an air monitor. They found low levels (15-20 parts per million) of CO throughout the house.
 
Firefighters attempted to identify the source of the CO, activating the water heater and furnace to see if the appliances would kick up CO levels, but they weren’t able to pinpoint the cause.
 
MG&E came to the house, and crews jointly searched the house once again for the carbon monoxide culprit. Again, no source was found.
 
Based on conversations with the homeowner, who stated that they had a fire in the fireplace earlier, MFD and MG&E surmised that a backflow from the fireplace could have caused the readings.
 
Crews opened the windows to vent the house, and MG&E remained with the family until CO levels dropped.
 
Meanwhile, the family learned their CO detectors were dying and needed to be replaced. One homeowner tells the MFD she’s already equipped her home with fresh detectors.