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by Tom Coombe
Authorities in Ely responded this month when a property owner came home to an unpleasant surprise: 150 gallons of fuel oil were mistakenly dumped into his basement.
“There was a large amount of fuel oil in a resident’s basement that wasn’t supposed to be there,” said fire chief Dave Marshall, who was part of the Ely fire crew that responded to the call.
According to a police report, chief Chad Houde responded to the home on the 800 block of East Chapman Street on Nov. 6, and a report of fuel being dumped into the basement after the company delivered to the wrong residence.
The reporting party found an envelope from Edwards Oil and Propane, indicating delivery of 150 gallons of fuel oil with a bill and a note to “please check fill pipe and vent pipe connections in basement - they seem to be loose and could cause a leak if not tightened.”
The property owners reported his house smelled like fuel and later found it had mostly gone in the floor drain, but found other items in the basement covered in fuel oil.
The Ely Fire Department responded, continuing clean-up and containment of the spill.
Marshall said that “unfortunately, this is more common than it should be” and offered advice for property owners that convert from fuel oil to propane.
“If they remove a fuel oil tank from their basement, they should also remove the vent line and fill line that was attached,” said Marshall. “That will eliminate this problem completely.”
