A strong smell consistent with a gas leak sent hazardous materials crews rushing to a home in San Diego’s Middletown neighborhood yesterday, prompting the precautionary evacuation of roughly 25 nearby residents. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department units responded to the 1230 block of West Spruce Street shortly before 11:40 AM after crews detected the odor near the residence.
No injuries have been reported, and the investigation into the source of the smell remains ongoing, according to Fox 5 San Diego. A fire official at the scene said the roughly two dozen residents were moved out of their homes as a precaution while firefighters worked to pinpoint where the odor was coming from. As of the report, no road closures had been put in place in the area.
The hazmat response fits within a broader system built specifically for these moments. San Diego Fire-Rescue operates a statewide-certified Type 1 Hazardous Materials Team, with 28 full-time members and three specialized heavy hazmat apparatus backed by a 76-member relief pool, giving the department a total depth of 104 trained personnel for exactly this kind of chemical or gas emergency, according to the City of San Diego. Founded in 1889, the department is the third-largest municipal fire agency in California, fielding more than 183,000 emergency calls a year across its 343-square-mile service area, per Wikipedia.
Why Gas Odors Trigger Immediate Precautions
Natural gas itself is odorless, which is why state regulators require utilities to add a distinct rotent-egg-smelling compound so leaks can be detected before they reach dangerous concentrations. Under California Public Utilities Commission General Order 112-F, gas distribution utilities must odorize natural gas with mercaptan specifically so residents and crews can smell even small leaks well before gas builds to combustible levels, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of a Lynwood building explosion earlier this month…