Malfunctioning equipment, poor ventilation cause carbon monoxide scare Custer Heights
BROKEN BOW - A little before 7 p.m., emergency personnel responded to a call at Custer Heights Apartments, 825 S. 9th Ave., Broken Bow. It was reported carbon monoxide detectors were going off in the high rise apartment building.
Dawn West with the Broken Bow Housing Authority confirmed with the Custer County Chief on-site about 7:25 p.m. that evening that carbon monoxide detectors were going off. She said there were no injuries and no one was evacuated from the building.
Melissa Garcia, Manager of Community Affairs for Black Hills Energy, told the Chief on Monday the problem was a combination of malfunctioning equipment and carbon monoxide which was not venting properly.
“Once the crews got there and everything was shut off, they turned on pieces of the system one by one,” to diagnose the problem, Garcia said. She added Black Hills Energy worked with a local HVAC company to make sure the residential building continued to have heat. She said she was on scene about 9 p.m. that evening and crews appeared to be wrapping up their work at that time.
Broken Bow Fire and Rescue, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and Broken Bow Police Department all responded to the call.
“That’s normal and proper,” Garcia said. “We always encourage people to make sure emergency procedures are being followed.” Authorities did a floor-by-floor search to make sure everyone was alright.
Garcia said it’s the time of year to remind people to check their heating and exhaust systems. See the press release about the “Silent Killer” on page A5.