Gary Thomas died doing something he did routinely: checking on empty houses while the owners were away.
Now, in a settlement Patty reached in March with the Tennessee-based boiler manufacturing company, a new label next to the button will warn of the dangers of hitting reset in freezing conditions., the company that makes the boiler that killed her husband. Attorney Myron Angstman, who represented Patty, said Thomas pressed the reset button on the boiler after a quick inspection of the house and garage, according to notes he made that were discovered later. The boiler, which apparently was frozen as well, managed to thaw some ice, but the water quickly turned to steam, creating extreme pressure in the boiler because it had no place to circulate.
Boiler explosions are extremely rare, said Joe Dudley of Diamond Heating in Anchorage. But many machines do include warning labels with information about the risk of explosion and carbon monoxide poisoning, he said. The machines often have a lockout system that doesn’t allow it to be turned on if it’s too hot, but Dudley said he didn’t know of any that had reverse cool lockout systems.
I knew Gary he was a great fire investigator, rest in peace my friend, Alaska Association of Fire and Arson Investigators will never forget you.
Great that his death could have meaning in this way and accomplish something in death. RIP Gary