The Safeway store in the Rossmoor Shopping Center was still closed to shoppers as of noon Thursday, April 23, after a suspected carbon monoxide leak prompted evacuation of the store at about 8:20 a.m., a ConFire battalion chief said. But it appeared the store was poised to reopen soon after that, as employees were waiting by the doors for approval to let shoppers back in.
ConFire received a call about an odor in the Safeway building about 7:20 a.m. Thursday, Battalion Chief Craig Auzenne said. Crews from both ConFire and PG&E responded, and “high levels” of carbon monoxide were measured in the air inside the store. Shoppers and employees were evacuated by 8:20 a.m. No injuries were reported, Auzenne said.
The source of the carbon monoxide had not been confirmed by noon Thursday, but Auzenne said repair crews had been working on the store’s rooftop HVAC system in the previous few days, and that a heat exchanger that is part of that system had apparently been malfunctioning. The carbon monoxide had dissipated by noon, Auzenne said.
Emergency crews left the store shortly before noon, but the store remained closed pending the store manager’s signoff on reopening.
