Mysterious fumes that were reported across a wide area Thursday could have been from multiple sources. Experts are not taking any chances.
A mystery odor wafting through the Westside has hundreds of residents wondering: what smells so bad?
More than 200 customers have complained to the Southern California Gas Company about the smell, and at least 10 people have complained to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The origin of the odor has not yet been determined, SoCal Gas officials said.
Complaints from residents in Culver City rolled in until around 2:30 p.m., said Battalion Chief Chris Syverson with Culver City Fire.
"We believe (the smell) was rogue in nature," Syverson said. "It came and went."
While the exact source of the smell was still unknown, fire officials said they believe the odor was traveling on winds from the Playa del Rey area.
If Mother Nature was to blame for the odor, it would be hard to determine, Syverson said.
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SoCal Gas had energy technicians out in the field late Thursday afternoon, but had yet to identify of find a leak.
Air quality officials said they received almost a dozen complaints about the odor from residents in Culver City, Playa Vista and Los Angeles, all of whom described a "strong petroleum smell" and alleged that the smell's source is a nearby oil and gas company.
"We've sent out a couple of field inspectors" to investigate the area near the Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) in the Ladera Heights area, said Sam Atwood with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The oil and gas company was cleared when fire officials eliminated it as a possible culprit, Atwood said.
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