Fire Department

An east side family evacuated their home after detecting the smell of burned plastic upstairs.

Two occupants say they went upstairs to check on their child, who was in bed, when they noticed the strong odor. They woke the child and called 911 before retreating to their vehicle outside.

Engine Company 13 arrived and entered the home but didn’t smell anything abnormal right away. All levels of the house were checked with no significant findings. Other responding fire companies were told they could remain available for other calls while Engine 13 continued to investigate.

One of the parents was brought back into the house to help identify what occurred. He said that after calling 911, he turned off his thermostat. Firefighters had him turn the thermostat back on to see if they could identify whether the furnace was the problem. That’s when they noticed no heat coming out of the vents.

Engine 13 went back downstairs to look more closely at the furnace and found there was no pilot light on. Warning labels next to the pilot light viewing window indicated the furnace is equipped with a bypass switch that will shut down the furnace to prevent overheating. It can only be reset by a qualified technician. The occupant was advised to not run the furnace until it is serviced.