First Responders Investigate Irritating Odor In Walnut Hill

August 27, 2013

First responders spent over two hours searching for the cause of an irritating odor Monday night in the Walnut Hill area.

The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office first responded to the area of Arthur Brown Road and Corley Road, at the railroad tracks, about 9:30 p.m.

Residents reported a smell similar to, but different from, leaking natural gas. Some said the strong odor was irritating to their nose and throat. Firefighters were able to smell the odor in several locations around Arthur Brown Road, Juniper Street, Cypress Street, Kansas Road and Smith Lane — but they were unable to pinpoint an exact source.

While the Genesis Rail Services Walnut Hill Station, a train-to-pipeline crude oil transfer station is located in the area, it was not believed to be associated with the smell. The wind was blowing toward the facility, not away from it, in the areas where residents reported the smell, firefighters said.

Pictured: The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS set up a staging area Monday night at Escambia Grain on Arthur Brown Road as they searched for the source of an irritating odor mostly west of the location. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

8 Responses to “First Responders Investigate Irritating Odor In Walnut Hill”

  1. Robert S. on August 27th, 2013 6:39 pm

    Anyone check to see if there was any sort of meeting of our “Duly Elected Officials”? Often those gatherings can cause unwelcome odors.

    With all the rain and standing water it could also be from stagnated pools or what we used to call “swamp gas”.

  2. Joyce Garrett on August 27th, 2013 1:17 pm

    We smelled it on Kingsfield road last night too.

  3. ME on August 27th, 2013 9:21 am

    It could easily be some of the herbicides that farmers have been spraying lately. I smelled it yesterday driving down Hwy 112 between Wilcox Rd and Barrineau Park road. I did notice that it was only strong around the ag fields.

  4. yes on August 27th, 2013 7:49 am

    Could be chicken manure fertilzer for the farms.
    Want to leave the area when it is spread here.

  5. my name on August 27th, 2013 6:00 am

    We could smell it on Hwy 164, also.

  6. Iris Ziglar on August 27th, 2013 5:57 am

    We think it was coming from the Big Escambia oil and gas separator. We have smelled it before, in Bratt, Canoe and Robinsonville, just not that strong.

  7. Oversight on August 27th, 2013 5:45 am

    Meth lab in the area?

  8. kg on August 27th, 2013 5:35 am

    It was in Bratt too (W Hwy 4, close to Crossroads). Smelled like sulfur.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News