Failing Batteries With Acid Leak Prompt Hazmat Response in Virgil

During the afternoon hours on Wednesday, November 13th, Virgil Fire was dispatched to a Carbon Monoxide alarm that was going off inside a residence on Baldwin Road. On arrival to the residence, firefighters made entry into the residence with a 4-gas detector to see what gas levels were inside.

Virgil Fire said in a release that elevated levels of Carbon Monoxide were found throughout the residence. Firefighters then began to look for the source of where the elevated levels were coming from. Their investigation showed multiple possibilities of sources from propane fired equipment, wood fire, and a solar battery storage system which can produce gases that would be picked up by the reader.

The highest levels were found in the area of a closed battery storage and solar inverter room. Due to the issue being with batteries, Virgil Fire requested the response of the City of Cortland Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team.

Cortland Fire says upon their arrival to the scene their meter showed elevated volatile organic compound readings and Carbon Monoxide with the highest readings again coming from the battery storage room. The batteries inside the room were then inspected and were showing signs of failure leading to the release of hydrogen gas.

“Hydrogen gas can sometimes appear as carbon monoxide (CO) on meters because many standard CO sensors are “cross-sensitive” to hydrogen. This means the sensor reacts to both gases, causing a false positive reading on a CO meter when hydrogen is present. This is due to the similar chemical reactions involved in their detection on the sensor’s surface, especially in electrochemical CO sensors, which are commonly used.” Cortland Fire Deputy Chief Derek Reynolds said in a release.

The homeowner gave permission to firefighters to remove the compromised batteries. In total, 12 batteries were determined to be compromised and removed from the storage structure. Cortland Fire says several batteries had failed and were leaking acid. After removal of the compromised batteries, the building was ventilated and metered with readings returning to normal limits.

Virgil Fire says Suburban Propane was also called to the scene to check all propane fired equipment before the homeowners could reoccupy to ensure everything was safe. The department says if your Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off new or old alarms, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.