California authorities investigate strong odor in Vallejo
VALLEJO, Calif. -- Authorities on Wednesday were investigating whether a mysterious odor is linked to a 40-foot wide oil sheen on San Pablo Bay, north of San Francisco, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The probe came after Vallejo residents were told Tuesday to stay inside when the odor prompted several people to go to a hospital with respiratory issues.
Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo was inundated with patients who said they were having trouble breathing, CBS San Francisco reports.
“It was just horrific,” resident Tami Foster told the station. “The smell was just horrible, so I got my grandchildren and my paraplegic son out the house. Called the police, and they told me to evacuate the city or go into shelter.”
The shelter-in-place order was later lifted but the source of the smell had not been pinned down.
Vallejo police said the first call about the odor came from the western side of Mare Island, CBS San Francisco reports.
Some ferries were canceled Wednesday, but the service was later restored.