DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) — Emergency officials are monitoring hydrogen sulfide levels near a septic tank site in Deerfield Township after a recent fire, according to Portage County EMA’s “Portage Prepares” Facebook page.
The Deerfield Fire Department first responded on Saturday, Oct. 3, to a brush fire off State Route 225 in Portage County. The fire was extinguished, but on Monday, Oct. 5, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resources returned to the area after reports of a possible coal-related fire. During that response, air monitoring equipment detected hydrogen sulfide — a gas that can pose health risks depending on the level and length of exposure.
ODNR says evidence suggests the fire may have been burning for some time, but the Division of Mineral Resources Management reports it has no reason to believe the incident is tied to an abandoned underground coal mine…