Heating Oil Accident in Massachusetts Family’s Basement

A family’s basement in Massachusetts suffered a significant oil spill on Tuesday, flooding with hundreds of gallons of heating oil due to a contractor’s mistake, just days before Thanksgiving.

Fawcett Energy was supposed to deliver oil to a residence on Linwood Street in Malden, but accidentally ended up at a different Linwood Street home in Medford, which is approximately 10 miles away, as reported by CBS News.

The Medford residence had pipes designed to direct oil into a basement tank, but the tank had been removed five years prior, according to homeowner Dan Nguyen.

Nguyen shared that his wife and brother-in-law were at home when they noticed a strange smell and discovered a delivery person pumping oil directly into the pipes.

Medford Fire Department Deputy Chief Nicholas Davis estimated about 385 gallons of oil spilled into the basement.

“Usually, there’s a whistle sound when the tank fills, but there wasn’t one since there was no tank,” Davis explained.

Despite the unfortunate situation, Nguyen remained understanding, even after being forced to evacuate the house due to hazardous smoke.

“Mistakes happen sometimes. They just put in the wrong address,” Nguyen mentioned. He had originally planned to host 20 guests for Thanksgiving dinner but acknowledged that staying in the house wasn’t safe, disrupting their holiday plans.

“I guess I’ll be calling to cancel,” he added.

Nguyen’s brother Tien described the basement as “messed up,” expressing uncertainty about when they would be allowed to return.

For now, the family is staying with relatives, salvaging whatever belongings they could. Reports indicate that six residents from the home are receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

Both the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the building inspector are looking into the incident. It remains unclear how long repairs will take. Efforts to contact Fawcett Energy for comments have been made.