Fire fighters investigating a gas leak turn out to be the cause

When the residents of Oisterwijk, a town in the Dutch province of Brabant, detected a strong smell of gas on Wednesday, they contacted their local fire department. Initially, the firefighters searched for the source of the gas leak throughout the town, but found none. They collaborated with the gas provider, Enexis, to test gas levels in various locations, yet they could only detect the odor.

Meanwhile, at the fire station, staff discovered that a canister containing THT had gone missing. This chemical is added to gas to make it detectable, as natural gas is odorless. The missing canister had been mistakenly thrown out and ended up in the back of a garbage truck. A firefighter from the station, Ronald Blokpoel, jokingly mentioned that they were able to laugh about the situation for a moment.

Although residents might continue to smell gas as the chemical dissipates, the fire department reassured the public that there was no danger to their health.