2 Kennewick businesses evacuated after high carbon monoxide readings

High carbon monoxide levels triggered an evacuation of two businesses in a busy Canal Drive shopping center.

Officials believe a cleaning crew using propane-powered equipment Thursday night in Michaels didn’t ventilate the building well enough, said Mark Hanson, with Cascade Natural Gas.

That carbon monoxide filtered into PetSmart Friday morning, leaving a bad odor at the 6807 W. Canal Drive business. When firefighters checked, they found high levels of the dangerous gas.

They found similar levels next door at Michaels and evacuated the stores, said Battalion Chief Kevin Crowley. The firefighters also brought out the animals that were inside as well.

The carbon monoxide levels inside were high enough they could potentially be dangerous, he said.

It took about two hours to air out the store. With help from Cascade Natural Gas, they made sure there was no other signs of the gas was coming into the building.

They called Cascade Natural Gas to the area as a precaution and to investigate.

This story was originally published July 19, 2019 at 10:55 AM.