Chemical odor in multiple Bedford County apartments, Forest VA
Fire & ArsonResponders investigated a strong chemical or gas odor affecting multiple apartments in Bedford County. Several residents experienced headaches and low oxygen levels. Maintenance and hazmat teams worked to locate the source and ventilate affected areas. No patients required transport to medical facilities.
Audio|Source: Bedford County Fire and Rescue (Ops)
08:22
Transcript:
00:00
Vet for command.
00:08
Just like you know, we're still investigating.
00:10
We're getting some high VOC ratings.
00:13
About 160 was the highest one.
00:16
That was in, I believe it's Department 105.
00:20
And we've got multiple apartments that are having the same odor in it.
00:23
So we're continuing our investigation.
00:25
We're waiting on maintenance just arriving on scene.
00:28
We'll try to let you know something here further.
00:30
We've got two patients that have been evaluated and refused treatment and transport.
00:39
Turn for on copy.
00:51
Go ahead and add me to the other.
00:54
Go ahead and add me to the other.
00:56
Show me and Rob.
01:06
Hasmat 1, FM1.
01:11
Go ahead.
01:15
I'm on Ops 4 and we're out to a vehicle fire.
01:18
If you can just keep me updated on what you have, if you need anything from our office.
01:23
I believe FM3 is also listening.
01:28
Back, Robbie.
01:32
Command Engine 5, Officer.
01:37
Go ahead.
01:41
I get a crew member from the tower to come up with a gas miner.
01:43
We have a decreased oxygen levels in 306.
01:50
Okay, they're on the way to the tower crew will be up there just a second.
01:56
Tower 5 officer.
01:59
Yeah, we're coming from the base soon.
02:02
Wrong way is there.
02:05
All right, just make sure you're on air when you go in there then since they've got low O2 readings.
02:12
If we talked to Oxygen 106, they reported they had headaches as well, but they're not requesting the MS.
02:23
All right, when the rescue gets here, we'll be found the rescue and they'll just go to apartment department and make sure we got everybody accounted for and there's no issues.
02:33
Cable. Twenty-five, swing cream command, Ox three.
02:48
Good, you're in.
02:54
Okay, Chief, we're clearing up with 14.5.
02:57
Y'all need more assistance there.
03:04
Matt, you just get back to the firehouse right now.
03:06
I'll let you know if we need something else.
03:09
Okay, I copy.
03:16
Engine 5 Officer to Command.
03:20
Go ahead.
03:23
The apartment on the left on Division 1, is that 106?
03:32
That's correct.
03:38
That's where the towers monitor went into alarm, correct?
03:44
Correct.
03:46
All right, in apartment 306, is that where they're at now or 307?
03:55
306 is the one they painted today.
03:59
All right, that's the one that has the Ogoo levels that are low.
04:05
Yes, sir. We have maintenance upstairs.
04:07
They don't pick up anything else.
04:08
We're going to go ahead and open up the rest of the vacant doors upstairs and go building by building.
04:14
Okay.
04:15
And the occupants apartment I've got and they were treated and they were three people in that apartment.
04:21
We're trying to count for all the people.
04:24
The RISC file is a rock.
04:28
C-O-L-O-L-S-P8-19.
04:44
All right, coming up the stairwell, priority for right now is to be on the right side as you're coming up.
04:54
That's where we're getting our highest freeings at.
04:58
Okay.
04:59
You guys still located downstairs or are you all upstairs?
05:04
We're on the third floor.
05:07
We're going into 307 now.
05:11
All right, the rescue officer is going to the basement division and he'll focus on the Delta side and work his way up.
05:21
Two, four. We'll soon maintenance down there with the key to meet him.
05:26
He's going to start in the basement.
05:32
His crew is, Rescue 5 is, and they're going to work their way up.
05:38
Okay,
05:40
we think we just located the issue on the third floor in 307.
05:46
They had a carpet machine in here cleaning carpets today.
05:52
Yeah, that's probably it, but let's,
05:55
for safety sakes, let's check them all in anything that needs to be ventilated.
05:59
Let's get it ventilated.
06:01
We have plenty of fans on the seams to rescue the truck up in the air.
06:09
Two more.
06:15
Tower five officers, rescue five officers.
06:20
Do it.
06:23
What did you say you were getting on the third floor? We're getting the weekends in the basement.
06:27
The sprinkler room where they have the snow blurs.
06:29
It's alarm all the monitors.
06:33
On the third floor, we were getting around 80 VOC.
06:39
On the second floor and first floor, we were getting closer to 200.
06:45
Okay, we're getting close to 3 in the basement.
06:53
Tower 5 officer, do you command?
06:58
Go ahead.
07:00
All right, definitely two apartments on the third floor need to be ventilated.
07:07
One on the first floor,
07:09
one on the second floor,
07:12
and definitely one in the basement.
07:15
Rescue 5 dislocated snowblowers being stored in the sprinkler room on the basement division
07:21
with a strong smell of gas.
07:25
All right.
07:27
When you get a chance, I need those apartment numbers for my records.
07:31
All right. It can be 307,
07:36
308,
07:38
207, 207, and four.
07:48
All right.
07:50
If you don't mind, check, I think it's one,
07:53
I want to say it's 105 or 106.
07:56
It's the first one on the left where the two occupants came out when we got here.
08:00
They were complaining of that.
08:02
That may be 107, I'm just not 100%.
08:07
Now, 107 is vacant.
08:09
It's going to be 105 that the victims came from,
08:16
and then 106, when the other two victims were complaining about headaches,
08:21
but said they did not need EMS.
Disclaimer:
This transcript was automatically generated and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify the information independently.
Location mentioned:
Bedford County, VA
This shows a Google Street View of the area near the location, which might not be the exact address.
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