Nearly 400 gallons of oil poured mistakenly into the basement of a house in Massachusetts

A resident in Medford, Massachusetts, has suffered the misfortune of having his house flooded with hundreds of gallons of heating oil. The incident occurred on Monday, leaving the homeowner flummoxed.

“They tell me (to) take the clothes, take the medicine and don’t come back until when they’re ready,” Dang Nguyen, the homeowner, was quoted as saying by KPTV.

The company whose oil tanker was involved in this incident was meant to deliver the heating oil to an address in Linwood Street, Malden. However, Nguyen’s house had the same address, just a different city – Medford instead of Malden, as per KPTV.

The deputy chief of the Medford Fire Department, Nicholas Davis, also issued a statement: “It’s not filling at a very fast rate. It’s steady. The drivers need to have their heads on a swivel and realize maybe it’s going beyond what should be going in here, which didn’t happen”.

Davis added, “Is it down into the floor? Is it in the walls? Things like that. It’s incredibly dangerous. You don’t want to be breathing in the fumes from the oil.”

As much as 385 gallons of home heating oil have been deposited in the basement of the house. Nguyen and his family will have to move away from their home for Thanksgiving. This will be a difficult experience for the householder. “I don’t know what happened,” he said.

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What is heating oil?

According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), heating oil and diesel are closely related as both are distillates. Heating oil is mainly used for boilers and furnaces.

A large part of the consumption of this type of oil takes place in the New England and Central Atlantic regions. This oil is required to be dyed red by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as it is exempt from state and federal taxes.

As per the regulations enacted by several states, including New York, heating oil needs to have a sulfur content of 15 parts per million or less. Ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO) has now become the norm in all six New England states.

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FAQs

What is heating oil?

Heating oil is typically used for space heating, especially in boilers and furnaces.

How many gallons of oil was deposited mistakenly in a house in California?

385 gallons.

Which agency is dealing with the matter?

Medford Fire Department.