Carbon monoxide alarm set off in several homes in Mayo estate triggering emergency response
Multiple carbon monoxide alarms were triggered in a housing estate in Mayo on Saturday, August 23.
Emergency services, including the fire brigade, local Gardaí, and the ambulance, swiftly responded to the alarm activations.
Properties in the Lios na Circe estate, in Castlebar, experienced the simultaneous sounding of their carbon monoxide alarm. Gas services have ruled out any gas leaks or indoor sources of combustion.
Residents say the alarms coincided with a foul odour that has plagued the estate for years. Resident Olga Melnychuk, said the smell intensifies in humid weather and after dry spells.
“We were told it was an obnoxious smell that was coming from something being disposed of in a little stream beside us, which is about 100m from my house. That smell continued over the years, however, this time it triggered a carbon monoxide alarm.”
The fire brigade measured the levels of carbon monoxide in Olga’s home, the reading reached a level of 500. It is meant to be zero.
Olga’s 87-year-old mother was in the house all day while the alarms were sounding.
“She had to be hospitalised. Her level of inflammation was very high. She went [on a] drip and, without further investigation, she was released on antibiotics. I think that's wrong, antibiotics probably won’t help, there could be something different,” said Olga.
She returned home with her mother and, following advice from emergency services and the local authority, opened all windows and doors to ventilate the property, but the odour only worsened.
“I opened the doors and windows, and the alarms started going off. So then I made the decision to move from the house because we have absolutely no option. [We can’t] stay in the house.”
Olga and her mother were moved into emergency accommodation. On Monday, three days after the alarms first went off, they were still sounding in her home as a Mayo County Council engineer arrived to take new readings.
In a statement written by Olga on behalf of the residents of Lios na Circe, she stated that gas services had already ruled out any leaks or combustion sources inside the homes themselves. Instead, residents believe the alarms are connected to a long-standing environmental issue.
“The odour still persists even after today's sewer drainage, suggesting a continuing environmental or infrastructure issue,” the statement read, “The field and the nearby river [are] known to produce strong odours, [this] may indicate that decomposing organic matter, as well as sewer gas emissions, are contributing to the build up of hazardous gases, including carbon monoxide.”
Olga said she first raised concerns about the smell with Mayo County Council several years ago, but received little response. When she chased for a reply, she was put through to an office in the council, who told her that everything had been dealt with.
“However, that obnoxious smell repeatedly returned over the years, and I didn’t do anything else because I knew [the response] would be exactly the same,” she explained, “So we lived with that obnoxious smell for a number of years.”
Residents praised the emergency services for their swift action. Still, they remain concerned about the health implications of long-term exposure to carbon monoxide. Children often play outdoors near the river, and Olga said families were deeply worried.
“The kids have been running and playing outside in this terrible state for a number of years, so we don't know what is happening on a DNA level. We will see the outcomes of the poisoning in a few years, but nobody will be thinking what this is linked to, but it could be linked to this poisoning.”
She believes the investigation needs to go far beyond Mayo County Council.
“I understand it takes time and everybody is puzzled and everybody is doing the best, however I want to come back to my initial report, if it was properly investigated back then, we would’ve not had this problem,” said Olga, “It isn't only my house, it's the whole estate and another estate that was newly built. It's adjacent to our estate, it’s a new estate that has just been built. We need to work together, we need to cooperate, and the residents' voice has to be heard.”
Olga is calling for the issue to be treated as both a national and international priority: “It needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, not only on a national level but on an international level too. European environmental and infrastructure bodies need to be included.”
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne was made aware of the situation on Saturday and spoke with the first responders on the scene. He has since reached out to the head of the Castlebar Municipal District, David Mellet, asking for him to confirm that the gases in the estate do not represent a health risk to the people living there.
When the fire brigade tested the carbon monoxide levels, Cllr Kilcoyne said they were “maxed off the scale”.
Cllr Ger Deere was also at the estate on Saturday after being called by a distressed resident and confirmed that the fire service said that they have “never seen as high a reading on their instruments.”
A spokesperson for Mayo County Council said: “Mayo County Council can confirm that over the past weekend, carbon monoxide alarms were triggered in several homes within the Lios na Circe Housing Estate. Both the Fire Service and Engineers from the Castlebar Municipal District responded promptly, and investigations into the cause are ongoing,
“We remind all households of the importance of maintaining their carbon monoxide alarms and to vacate the premises immediately if an alarm sounds. Only return once it has been confirmed safe to do so.”
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.