A.G. Gancarski
Hot on the heels of a scathing dispatch on the sketchy financing of the Section 8 slum known as Eureka Gardens comes an internal email from Jacksonville Fire Marshal Kevin Jones regarding a “gas odor incident” at the same property.
In related news, the email documents a pilot light problem in a unit that posed danger to the occupant, requiring medical treatment.
“Yesterday evening, I went to Eureka Gardens and discovered that an open field area near building #32, which is the same field location where the initial gas leak was discovered during our October 2nd inspection, is still emanating natural gas fumes. I did write and issue a Warning Notice of Violation to the apartment manager, Holly, and informed her that the complex still has a gas leakage issue, and the leakage violates provisions outlined within the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54),” Jones wrote on Tuesday to Sam Mousa and Tom Goldsbury.
“I explained to her that she has until next Monday, October 26th, to have a company come out, find the source of the leakage, repair the leak, and retest the distribution line to ensure that no additional leakage occurs,” the email continues.
Meanwhile, a resident was hospitalized last week, due to fault of the pilot light of her kitchen stove. Jones recounted that “Ms. Doretha McCool (apt. #375) was taken to the hospital due to an issue with her kitchen stove’s pilot light. I went to her unit and personally spoke with Ms. McCool, and she indicated that her pilot light was too high and the fumes made her sick…. I told Ms. McCool that a Carbon Monoxide detector was going to be installed in her unit soon, and she stated that she thanks God for the City’s involvement with getting the improvements needed for the complex.”
Jones, almost in passing, noted that the complex seems to arbitrarily have detectors in some buildings but not others.
As well, management seems intent, still, on passing blame to tenants.
“[M]anagement stated that Ms. McCool’s pilot light had gone out which caused the natural gas to fill the unit. However, based upon Ms. McCool’s description of what took place, it sounds like the pilot light was too high and was emitting high levels of carbon monoxide inside her unit. In either scenario, the presence of a CO detector would have alerted Ms. McCool to the presence of excessively high CO levels within her unit,” Jones writes.
“Management has indicated that approximately three buildings already have CO detectors installed in them, and it is my intention to get a listing of those units and make a visual inspection of them before the end of this week. I will keep you informed of my findings along with anything else that I discover,” Jones continued.
Florida Politics will follow up on this story in the coming days.
