Empty house dials 911 to stop toxic mold

Yes, you read the header of today’s mold inspection blog correctly. A house, not a person, recently tried to “save itself” from a horrific outbreak of toxic mould by dialling 911.

The Marblehead, Massachusetts property’s owner, James Cowen, was away and traveling. While he was gone over the winter, a pipe burst. Water exploded through the walls, ceilings and floorboards. The basement was flooded with five feet of water. All the soggy, sagging floors and ceiling began to breed toxic mould. With no proper mold removal possible while Cowen was gone, it grew to obscene levels.

Eventually, however, water damage short-circuited the phone system in the house. That triggered a 911 call (automatically?) from the equipment. The responders recorded the call as a hang-up and got nothing but static when they tried to contact the home so they decided to investigate.

When police found the home, the water levels and toxic mold levels had grown to astronomical levels. The health director for the Town of Marblehead called the scene “a horrific mess.”

Building commissioner Bob Ives added that “the house is unfit for human habitation” and that “I don’t think anyone would want to go in there because of the level of mold.”

Somehow, the house only made a single 911 call. It’s a somewhat amusing story on the surface – how did a house know to call 911? – but toxic mold is no laughing matter when all is said and done. Naturally, James Cowen couldn’t have called a mold removal company to handle his problem because he had no idea that his pipes burst. However, in hindsight, seeing how much hazardous mould formed as a result, he would have been smart to inspect his pipes before embarking on a long journey.

That’s the best lesson to take away from this story. We know that moist, flooded homes breed mould, so make sure you protect all your pipes and water sources before leaving your home unattended for an extended period.

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