24 hours later: Natural gas odor lingers in NE Ohio
(WJW) – A smell of gas that prompted schools to close and 911 dispatchers to become flooded with calls of concern on Wednesday still lingered Thursday morning throughout parts of Northeast Ohio.
As of Thursday at 10 a.m., residents in some communities continued to report gas leak smells.
According to an emergency dispatcher in Strongsville, some people spent hours outside their homes Wednesday night and Thursday morning waiting for gas company crews to investigate.
The smell of a gas leak started in the Mansfield area and spread all the way up into Cuyahoga County. People were panicked.
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It turned out not to be a gas leak. According to a Columbia Gas spokesperson, the source of the odor was an “overabundance” of a harmless additive that gives natural gas its distinct smell, which was being added “by an upstream supplier.”
Natural gas is odorless and colorless. What consumers smell briefly after turning on their stove-top burner is an additive called mercaptan that gives it a putrid smell like rotten eggs or sulfur, making it easily detectable in case of a leak, according to Columbia Gas of Ohio.
Columbia Gas could not estimate how long it would take for the odor to dissipate but, the smell was enough to light up 911 switchboards in Richland, Ashland, Lorain, and Cuyahoga Counties.
As of Thursday morning, Columbia Gas told FOX 8 the most impacted areas appeared to be Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Stark and Columbiana counties.
“We understand your concerns and want to ensure you we are making this situation our priority. We will have additional crews reporting to the impacted areas to help expedite response time. If you have already reported an odor of gas at your location, please know we will arrive as soon as possible,” said the spokesperson.
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In Mansfield, the first reports came in around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Then schools became alarmed as staff members arrived for the day and smelled the odor.
The Mansfield fire chief said his department took nearly 50 calls before noon. The fire department checked each of them out and gave the all-clear, finding no danger, just that terrible smell.
“We use explosive meters that give us a range of you know the level of danger in that home, they were all zero. We found no leaks of gas, but the smell of that mercaptan was definitely present,” said Chief Daniel Crow.
Parma, Brunswick Hills, and the cities of Ashland and Mansfield were among those that put out public messages similar to that of Columbia Gas, assuring residents that there is no danger.
However, if you do smell that odor, Chief Crow said do not hesitate to call 911.
“If you’re concerned, obviously, we want you to call,” said Crow.
“Please remember, although we have identified this odor source, it is important to contact us at 1-800-344-4077 if you believe you are smelling natural gas,” read a Thursday morning update from Columbia Gas.
For more information, go to https://www.columbiagasohio.com/safety/natural-gas-safety
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