Residents in north Chicago suburbs report smelling natural gas
CHICAGO (CBS) – There were multiple reports Tuesday night in Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois of residents saying they smelled natural gas.
A Nicor spokesperson said they're looking into an incident in Iowa that caused the smell and that the wind carried it into the Chicago area. Nicor said it had to bring in additional personnel to assist in answering about 1,000 calls related to the odor.
The spokesperson also explained that natural gas is naturally odorless, so as a safety measure for detection, mercaptan is added. It gives natural gas an odor similar to rotten eggs. Mercaptan will naturally dissipate and pose no harm to the public.
McHenry police said it was aware of the natural gas odor in the area, but said there was no known gas leak and no danger to residents.