Industrial gas leak responsible for foul smell that blanketed parts of Cambridge
Posted Nov 1, 2022 12:06:05 PM.
A foul smell crept up on the west end of Cambridge over the weekend and covered the area in what some believed was a massive gas leak.
On Saturday Oct. 29, residents of Cambridge started to notice a strange odour that was described as sulphuric and somewhat like rotten eggs.
Many residents took to social media to question whether there was a gas leak nearby and if there was any danger. Some said they called Enbridge Gas to report the smell.
The City of Cambridge confirmed later that day the Ministry of Environment went to the site where the smell originated and determined there was no danger to the public.
“The odour originated from a company outside of the city, but because of the winds on Saturday, the odour drifted towards West Cambridge predominantly,” said Julie Kalbfleisch, director of communications for Cambridge.
The city would not divulge the name of the company or where it is located.
The company was initiating a “start-up procedure” and a small leak occurred, she added. The gas leak was caught and fixed within feet of the source.
What exactly was leaking and its cause are still unknown, but the leak has been fixed and is not expected to create any more issues for Cambridge residents.
The company responsible for the leak conducted a “burn-off” process that resulted in the strong odour spreading through the city, Kalbfleisch explained.
The Ministry of Environment did not respond to requests for comments about the situation.
