By Milton Times Staff
2/3/11
A block of businesses in East Milton Square was evacuated Jan. 28 for what turned out to be a false alarm.

Police Chief Richard Wells Jr. said between 15 and 20 businesses from Bassett Street to Adams Court were evacuated in the afternoon for what initially was believed to be a gas leak.

Wells and Fire Chief Jack Grant both said National Grid tested for a leak inside the building but found nothing. Grant said the Fire Department’s testing came up negative, as well.

The manholes in the street were also tested, according to Grant, who said about 20 firefighters from Milton and Quincy were on the scene. The town’s Engine 4 began spouting black smoke and had to be towed from the scene, he said.

Grant said he was happy to learn it was a false alarm.

“You’d rather have [nothing] than the other side of the story,” he said.

Wells said Milton, Quincy and state police were on hand to reroute traffic away from the Square.

“It was a labor-intensive effort,” said Wells.

National Grid spokeswoman Amy Zorich later confirmed that the company found no leak.

According to several employees who work in the building, the gas odor originated from upstairs, and was strongest at the Fallon Associates law office directly above Kelley & Rege around noon.

“The smell of the gas came through the office … it came through like a cloud. It was definitely a gas smell,” said one employee in the Fallon office, who did not want to be named. “It was really, really strong. It was scary. We went around to the other businesses. As soon as they opened the door, they could smell it.”

The employee said she called the Police Department and National Grid. As soon as responders arrived, employees were told to vacate the building. The Fallon employees waited two hours before they could return to their office. They were told no leak was found but that the gas company would follow up with subsequent checks, the employee said. The gas smell dissipated by 2 p.m.

Fitness Unlimited employee Cindy McCarthy said the smell reached the health club shortly after it arrived upstairs. “We were the last people to smell it,” she said. “We smelled it in our lobby. It was a strong odor.”

McCarthy said she and everyone else in the club were ordered to evacuate, and it was an hour-and-a-half before they could return.