The Region : Odor of Gas Reported in Two Counties

The South Coast Air Quality Management District was investigating a mysterious smell of gas reported in several areas of the Southland from Bell Gardens to Long Beach and into Orange County during the evening. The Orange County Fire Department and several city fire departments reported that they were flooded with calls about the odor, which some described as similar to the burn-off from a petroleum refinery. In Orange County, a county emergency hazardous materials crew determined that the odor was not toxic, a county Fire Department spokesman said. An Air Quality Management District spokeswoman said that crews were in the field attempting to find the source of the odor but that no further information was available. The spokeswoman said the smell was dissipating in the Long Beach area and was drifting into areas of Orange County.