What's That Smell? Culprit Behind Westside Gassy Odor ID'd

LOS ANGELES, CA — Authorities Thursday determined that a strong odor reported by several residents in the Cheviot Hills area resulted from a natural gas odorant spill.

The reports began coming in around 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, prompting Southern California Gas crews to rush to the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Overland Avenue to investigate, said Melissa Bailey of the Southern California Gas Co.

Southern California Gas crews, along with the Los Angeles Fire Department, were sent to determine the source of the odor late Wednesday night, Bailey said.

Crews found that there was no gas leak but discovered the source of the odor to be a natural gas odorant spill at a third-party production company, according to Bailey.

"SoCalGas crews discovered the source of the odor was a natural gas odorant spill at a small independent oil and natural gas production facility in the West Los Angeles area. The spill has been cleaned up," Bailey said in a statement Thursday morning. "Any residual odor is expected to dissipate gradually over the next several hours."

The leak occurred at the Hillcrest Beverly Oil Corp., which is located at 10310 W. Pico Boulevard, CBS2 reported. The odorant leaked from a barrel, according to the station.

"Natural gas is odorless, and as a safety precaution, a distinctive odor is added to it so most people can easily notice its presence," Bailey said.

City News Service