DMV Office Is Expected to Reopen Today
A state Department of Motor Vehicles office in Van Nuys is scheduled to reopen today after 16 customers and employees were overcome by a mysterious “swamp water” odor this week.
Authorities closed the office at Vanowen Street and Kester Avenue on Tuesday after the odor forced the evacuation of 100 employees and customers, 16 of whom were treated in the DMV parking lot by paramedics. The office remained closed Wednesday as Los Angeles County officials tried unsuccessfully to determine the source of the odor.
“It was something we could never nail down,” said James Odling, a county hazardous materials specialist.
Authorities had initially traced the source of the odor to water that had leaked into a section of foam between layers of the roof. But Wednesday, Odling said tests of the water concluded that it was not the source of the odor.
Wherever it came from, the smell prompted workers to complain of scratchy throats and nausea Tuesday. One employee described the odor as similar to “rotten eggs” or sulfur.
The office is expected to be open today from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., a DMV spokeswoman said. The office is also open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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