Overheated Compressor Causes Smoky Odor in Main Street Stores

The Westport Fire Department responded to Achorn's Pharmacy and Eileen Fisher on Main Street Tuesday night for reports of a smoky odor in the basement of both shops.

Assistant Fire Chiefs Robert Kepchar and Andrew Kingsbury of the Westport Fire Department were on the scene and said firefighters investigated the rooftop heating and air conditioning units and the basement furnaces.

They found an overheated compressor that was part of the air conditioning system in the basement of Eileen Fisher was causing the smoky odor. No fire resulted and no injuries were reported.

"We shut it down and took it out of service," Kepchar said Tuesday night.

Additionally, firefighters ventilated both stores to remove the odor. Main St. was reduced to one lane of traffic in that area by Westport PD for the duration of the call. The last fire department unit left the scene at 6:33 p.m.

After that incident, the fire department was then called for a truck fire on Interstate-95 that Norwalk took over because it was due to an overheated truck motor closer to Norwalk.