Local News on WXHC.com is brought to you by:
Just before midnight Tuesday, city firefighters responded to a carbon monoxide leak at the Cortland County Jail.
Upon entry into the facility, crews found elevated CO readings near 20 Parts per Million (PPM). The initial alarm pointed to issues in the boiler room, where levels quickly spiked to nearly 500 PPM.
NYSEG was immediately contacted and responded to assist in determining the cause of the problem.
City chief Wayne Friedman says it was like the transition from an older to a new boiler system:
“An auxiliary ventilation unit designed to assist with the exhaust of the boiler was not operating properly,” he said. “This was rectified quickly by county maintenance personnel and NYSEG.”
No injuries occurred to any personnel within the jail or responding emergency personnel, added Friedman.
Inmates did have to be moved temporarily as a precaution, but returned once systems were put back in service and deemed safe by NYSEG.
City fire personnel were cleared just before 2 am. Assistance was provided at the scene by TLC.
Cortlandville Fire Department also stood by at HQ for additional alarms in the city.
