Fuel oil leak displaces residents from Norwich home
Sep. 30—NORWICH — A home heating oil leak Friday night led to the temporary condemnation of one floor of a two-family Norwich home, fire officials said.
Firefighters were dispatched at approximately 8:52 p.m. to 607 Boswell Ave. for a report of a gas odor at the residence, Battalion Chief Marc Benjamin said in a news release.
Contractors examining the basement found about a foot of water covered by an inch-deep layer of oil suspected of leaking from an abandoned, partially submerged basement tank or an unused exterior tank.
The residence's sump pumps had been sending a mix of water and oil outside, Benjamin said.
State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection agents and the city's building official estimated between 25 to 50 gallons of No. 2 home heating oil were spilled, with at least another 100 gallons possibly still on the site.
Private clean-up crews were contacted to remove the oil mixture and are slated to work with the property owner to mitigate any outside contamination. There were no injuries.
Benjamin said the residence's first floor was temporarily condemned, and displaced residents are staying with family. He said city and Norwich Public Utilities officials will re-evaluate the property on Monday.
