A truck that had carried across the county the chemical used to give odorless natural gas its pungent smell was responsible for the widespread natural gas scent reported from Savannah's westside all the way through at least central Effingham County on Wednesday evening.
Reports of the smell of natural gas initially came in about 6 p.m. starting in the area of Fair Street, just of West Bay Street in Savannah, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman. Over the next two hours, reports of the same smell began traveling across Garden City, Port Wentworth and as far north as Springfield.
An extensive search throughout the area by emergency and gas company officials returned no indication of a gas leak, said Keller and Garden City Fire Chief James Crosby. Air readings throughout the large area all indicated the air was clean and natural gas was not present.
After contacting several companies, fire officials discovered the source of the smell was the tanker truck in a yard off Lissler Avenue in western Savannah, where it was undergoing cleaning after carrying methyl mercaptan from Arizona to Florida, Keller said. Savannah Fire officials believe during the cleaning process the chemical mixed with the air and released its "rotten egg" odor.
"Basically it did the job it was supposed to do," Keller said. "Because natural gas and propane are odorless it needs this chemical so that people can know it's present."
Keller said it was not completely clear why the smell traveled such a long distance so rapidly Wednesday.
At least three people were treated for nausea-like symptoms after being exposed to the chemical, Keller said. However, methyl mercaptan, a naturally occurring chemical, is not considered a health hazard, according to the Chatham Emergency Management Agency.
People have varying sensitivities to the chemical, and some people when exposed to it may temporarily experience headache, dizziness, tremors, nausea, vomiting and lack of coordination.
The Family Dollar store at 109 Minus Ave. and several units in the Chatham City Apartments complex, Crosby said, were evacuated as a precaution because of the overwhelming methyl mercaptan odor in the area. In Savannah, Fair Street and portions of West Bay and Division streets were closed temporarily during the incident.
Although no one was at risk Wednesday, Keller said he encouraged people to always call the fire department or 911 if they smell the "rotten eggs" smell released by methyl mercaptan, because it typically indicates a gas leak that could be dangerous.
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UPDATE: Truck responsible for gas smell from west Savannah to Effingham County
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