Seneca, SC – Seneca fire officials are crediting a standard carbon monoxide detector with preventing a tragic situation at The Salvation Army offices on Debra Street.
At least one Salvation Army employee, Capt. Tracey Guilliams was instructed to get medical attention Monday after she left work complaining of a
headache.
Attempts to reach Ms. Guilliams have been unsuccessful.
After Ms. Guilliams left the office, the carbon monoxide detector that had been recently installed sounded the alarm.
Seneca fire officials went through the building and found extremely elevated levels of carbon monoxide and ordered the building evacuated and
ventilated.
Seneca Fire Chief Shane Phillips said a reading of about 35 parts per million warrants a building to be ventilated and readings in the Salvation
Army office went over 800.
“When it gets over 999, we wear full gear including breathing apparatus and treat it as a house fire,” Chief Phillips said.
The fire department called Ft. Hill Natural Gas Authority which checked its lines and they were found to be in proper order.
Fire officials did discover a running engine at Performance Yamaha and an exhaust fan was blowing toward the Salvation Army Office where the buildings are connected.
Fire Marshall Jan Oliver and Seneca building codes officials were inspecting the buildings Monday afternoon.
“My hat’s off to them for having the alarm,” Chief Phillips said. “It was
definitely a deadly atmosphere.”
Seneca firefighters kept their blowers going to clear the air in the office
building.
Two Salvation Army workers, Salley Moran and Ashley Stewart, said they did
not become ill.
“Tracey just had a baby about six months ago and sometimes they bring her in
the office,” Ms. Moran said. The six-month-old girl, Tori, was not with her
mother Monday at the office.