Odor in H.B. seems to have been from offshore oil rig

An unpleasant odor that wafted through parts of Huntington Beach on Thursday morning was probably from an offshore oil rig, according to authorities.

Marine safety Lt. Claude Panis said he smelled something pungent around 10 or 10:30 a.m. and immediately looked up at nearby flags to see the direction of the wind.

At that moment, he said, the city was directly downwind from one of the nearby oil rigs.

As the platforms operate, they’ll sometimes bring up a bubble of gas that can drift ashore if the winds are right, Panis said.

“It’s happened before,” he said.

Panis said he’s not aware of any danger posed by such incidents.

“It’s just an unpleasant smell and it went away pretty quick,” he said.