LONOKE, Ark. — Local and state agencies spent Thursday, April 25, checking oxygen levels inside about 30 homes in Lonoke.
On April 10, the Lonoke Fire Department responded to an annex building at Lonoke High School for an unidentified gas escaping the foundation. A Facebook post from the city of Lonoke Wednesday said authorities have reason to suspect a similar instance is occurring two blocks south on Ponderosa Drive.
The EPA, Arkansas Dept of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Dept of Health, the 61st Civil Support Team and other local agencies helped assist in Thursday’s tests.
"They dismissed school that day and they checked the neighborhoods and they noticed two houses out of the neighborhood came up with low oxygen levels,” Karen Dill said.
Dill lives down the street from those two homes. She said her house passed the test.
"We just want to find out what's causing it so it can be irradiated,” Dill said.
Both of those homes are currently vacant, but Dill said the previous owner did complain of poor oxygen in the home for years.
"You just feel like your lungs can't get any air in them . . . I've never experienced anything like it before, and the ladies that have been in and out of the house, they've been talking about it for months and how it's been and I had not experienced it until this morning,” Dill said.
In a statement, Lonoke Mayor Trae Reed said the city is waiting for lab results; however, Thursday’s observation indicates a high probability a non-toxic source of CO2 has been creating the displacement and may have been affected by low barometric pressure and high ground saturation. He said there is no risk to the public as the issue is isolated to three properties – the high school annex and the two homes.
The city may continue to monitor these sites as required, but encourages citizens to contact the Lonoke Police Department if they have reason to believe their home may have abnormal O2 levels.