Around 1 p.m. on Wednesday a horrible smell swept through Palm Beach County. There were more than 100 calls to Palm Beach Fire Rescue to report the smell of gas.
The smell was not from a gas leak, but from the nontoxic odorant mercaptan being added to gas lines in the area. The odorant is added so even the smallest of gas leaks can be detected. Ethyl mercaptan is a colorless gas or liquid.
Parents were asked to pick up their children early from Palm Springs Elementary and when concerns arose at Royal Palm School they evacuated their classrooms, yet the students returned to class when they realized they was no gas leak.
The stench poses no danger and was expected to fade during the night.
