Gas leak discovered in Belleville thanks to resident

By Thomas Goyer 

BELLEVILLE – A woman prevented a possible gas explosion in a Belleville apartment Monday night by quickly reporting a carbon monoxide alarm to 911.

She called 911 just before 8 p.m. from her Station Street apartment, according to a news release from Belleville fire inspector Norm Mitts.

The apartment building is one block away from Fire Station 1.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered that a furnace in the building was leaking toxic gas. They vented the building and took the woman to hospital for observation.

“The female tenant acted quickly when the alarm sounded, which may have saved her life and others in the building,” Mitts said.

According to the fire department, the leak was caused by an older-model gas furnace that will be replaced.