Residents of Chandalar Drive got a rude awakening early Sunday morning, after a University training exercise sent smoke and carbon monoxide pouring into their homes.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, the University Fire department conducted a series of controlled burns in three empty houses in the area. The homes on Chandalar, along with most other buildings on campus, are connected together through a network of underground tunnels called utilidors. Despite efforts by the power plant to seal the utilidors leading to the burn sites, smoke was able to enter and travel to other residences.

"We've performed similar burns in the past without encountering this problem" said UAF fire Chief Edith Curry. Several abandoned residences on Copper Lane were burned last year; those houses were not directly connected to the utilidors.

The burned homes were considered unnecessary and too expensive to repair, although some former residents disagree with this assessment. University officials eventually plan to demolish most single and double-family homes on campus and replace them with higher-density housing.

The first sign of trouble that most Chandalar residents noticed was smoke and bad odors emerging from their basements and utility rooms.

"There was smoke in here off and on, the smell was stronger downstairs" said resident Sheila Minock.

Calls to the fire station began while the training fires were still in full swing, and callers were told to open their windows and allow fresh air in. Tests to determine levels of Carbon Monoxide, a dangerous gas, were not performed until between 3 and 4 a.m. the following morning, when a few carbon monoxide detectors began going off. Detectors had been installed in nearby homes the day previous to the burns, but most of them failed to warn residents of the gas build-up.

Carbon Monoxide is typically associated with car exhausts, but is produced by most forms of fire or combustion. It is odorless and colorless, and replaces oxygen in the bloodstream, leading to dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, and eventually death. The Occupational Safety and Health Organization states that a 50 parts per million (pomp) concentration is the maximum safe level for workers. According to the UAF fire department, levels below 70ppm are considered safe for homes

The highest level of gas was encountered in the Minock residence, measuring at 56 ppm. Sheila and her family chose to leave for the night due to health concerns, and were given temporary housing by Residence Life.

"We figured that we'd go find a place to stay for the night, and they were nice enough to put us up in a place at Hess Village," Minock said.

Other homes had their utility access doors taped off and windows opened, but none showed dangerous levels of CO.

So far no one has been able to determine how or why such a serious incident occurred during what should have been a routine training exercise. According to Facilities Services and UAF Fire personnel, contributing factors may have included wind changes, plastic sealing materials, and coals left smoldering in the destroyed buildings.

While the only aftereffects have been bad smells and a few headaches, many residents are angered by the incident, and some are hesitant to trust the university to protect their health and safety in the future.

The university fire department and facilities services are currently working to determine the causes of this incident, and ways to prevent a repetition during future training events.

Firefighters, in the reflection of their parked truck, watch the blazes.
Photo by Gabe Emerson/special to the Sun Star

A utilidor like the one running between  the Chandalar houses

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