Strong Gas Odor Reported in Philadelphia Area; Here’s Why

Are you smelling a strong odor in the air this morning in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs? You're not alone. We found out more about what the cause of this bizarre odor this morning has been.

Here's the latest information:

Strong Odor Reported in Southern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware

Local emergency responders say they've been inundated with calls reporting a strong sulfur odor in the areas just south of Philadelphia. Reports range from areas like Eddystone to Chester, PA down to Wilmington and Claymont, DE.

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In fact, the Wilmington Fire Department told the media (including Philadelphia's 6abc) that they had received as many as 20 calls to 911 about the odor within a 30-minute period this morning. Those calls have continued throughout the morning, we're told as well.

Equipment Failure at Refinery Is To Blame

The odor stems from an equipment failure at a refinery in Marcus Hook, PA, officials say. But they emphasized there is no health hazard related to the incident.

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They are, however, advising local residents to turn off their air conditioning units if possible and to keep all windows and doors closed to limit the smell's entrance into their residence. Of course, that's easier said than done for many on a hot and muggy summer afternoon. However, it could keep the odor from entering your home via your HVAC system, they say.

The cause of the issues at Marcus Hook seemed to stem from a power outage at the Monroe Energy facility around 6:30 this morning. Local officials told Philadelphia's NBC 10 that the facilities "went into safe shutdown mode, which caused an increased gas flare."

The exact cause of the power outage and repair window was not immediately clear.