Leaking Carbon Dioxide Tank At 7-Eleven Triggered Hazmat Response: Brick Fire Chief

BRICK, NJ — A leaking carbon dioxide tank led to the evacuation and temporary closure of the 7-Eleven at the corner of Route 70 and Chambers Bridge Road Monday, according to the township's fire safety chief.

Kevin Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety, said the 7-Eleven was expected to reopen Tuesday after a reinspection following the company's replacement of the CO2 tank and associated equipment at the store.

"We just want to make sure everything is buttoned up tight before we allow them to reopen," Batzel said late Tuesday morning.

The incident began Monday afternoon when the Pioneer Hose and Breton Woods fire companies were alerted to elevated levels of carbon monoxide by internal alarms at the store, Batzel said. Upon arrival, firefighters tested the levels and found the issue instead was carbon dioxide, which Batzel said can lie low along the floor and produce a similar response from the alarms.

Batzel said the store initially was evacuated, but as retests showed the CO2 levels remained high, the tank was removed, which brought the CO2 levels down significantly. But the levels still remained higher than acceptable, he said, and the decision was made to close the store while the company checked for leaks in hoses and the associated equipment.

Carbon dioxide is used to put the fizz in sodas like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other drinks, and it's also the air we exhale, so there's always some residual CO2 in the air, Batzel said. But the levels that were showing up on the readings were more than just the normal residual levels, he said.

Batzel said the 7-Eleven district manager told him the company was replacing the tank and the regulator on Tuesday, and the fire safety bureau was going to recheck the store once that was completed.

In addition to the Pioneer Hose and Breton Woods fire companies, the Berkeley Township Hazardous Materials squad and township police and EMS responded to the incident, Batzel said.

Photo via Patch reader shows emergency workers on the scene at the 7-Eleven on Monday afternoon.