COAL TOWNSHIP - Emergency responders were called to Wal-Mart Supercenter Wednesday morning for a possible natural gas leak, but the communications manager for UGI Utilities reported it was a false alarm.
"The service man checked fuel lines, boilers and heaters, and nothing was found. No gas was detected," Joseph Swope said by phone from his Reading office.
Coal Township Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Malukas said his men couldn't find anything with their meters either.
"When we got there, there were no elevated levels of gas. Everything was safe," he said.
Swope said someone had noticed an odor when the heating unit kicked on.
"There was speculation from the store maintenance crew that it was the smell of the furnace kicking on for the first time, generating an unusual odor," Swope said.
Malukas said firefighters figured it was one of the heating fixtures or vents, but the store was aired out by the time they arrived, and they found nothing peculiar.
UGI arrived at 8:40 a.m., after the store had been evacuated, and finished its investigation at 10 a.m., after which employees and customers were allowed to return.
Malukas didn't know how many employees and customers were evacuated, but noted it was a small amount because it was early in the morning.
The fire company stayed for approximately 45 minutes, he said.
The on-duty Wal-Mart manager advised The News-Item to contact corporate media relations for more information, but a call went unreturned.
Fourth incident
The Wal-Mart scare was the fourth local incident involving fumes or heating malfunctions in three days.
The first, on Monday, was deadly. That's when Wayne S. Maurer, 93, Catherine M. Maurer, 84, and Mary Jo A. Maurer, 43, all of 220 S. Oak St., Coal Township, were found dead in separate bedrooms of their two-story home. Authorities said a malfunctioning natural gas furnace caused a buildup of carbon monoxide. The victims were pronounced dead just before 11 a.m. Monday, but the coroner believes they died overnight Friday into Saturday.
Later Monday night, Mount Carmel fire departments were called to the home of Jim Rowland at 435 W. Fourth St., Mount Carmel, for a report of carbon monoxide buildup. Rowland was instructed to keep the furnace off until the gas company and fire departments inspect it.
Also late Monday, three Shamokin residents were transported to Shamokin Area Community Hospital for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning at their apartment building on East Sunbury Street. Firefighters blamed a blocked chimney for the problem.
This time of year is a prime time for such troubles, Swope said, discussing the Coal Township fatality on Monday. Property owners are advised to have chimneys and heating systems checked, and to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.