Lowell Property Owners Feud With Tenant Over Heating Oil Spill
(LOWELL) -- A Lowell couple says a tenant in their house caused a large heating oil spill in their basement.
Patricia Gervais and her boyfriend Todd Wall say the man who lives in the first floor apartment of their house deliberately drilled holes in the heating oil tank and caused the spill in their basement.
Wall says the man has caused plenty of damage to their Princeton Boulevard home.
Gervais called the fire department and when firefighters arrived, the found more than 100 gallons of oil on the basement floor.
Massachusetts environmental authorities and Hazmat crews were called to investigate and clean up the mess, a mess that caused Gervais and Wall to leave their house.
The couple has been trying to evict their disgruntled tenant, Bruce Noble, and accuse Noble of deliberately causing the spill.
Gervais says the couple and Noble have already been to court several times.
"It's gone to court. It's gone to the district court three times. It's gone to housing court and I have to go to district court again Monday," Gervais said.
Noble says he's innocent and will try to "clear his name." Lowell police haven't charged Noble with a crime.
"I didn't do it. I'm here right now talking about it. I'm at the police station, that's where you found me, right?" Noble said. "So that's what I'm doing."
Fire officials say the oil has been removed and Patricia and Todd are allowed to return home.
However the disagreement between Noble and the homeowners continues.
Noble says he wants to get out of Patricia and Todd's house.
"I think he needs to be picked up, you know," Gervais said.
Lowell officials are investigating the cause of the fuel oil leak.