PG&E Crew Investigating Reports of Gas Odors in East Oakland

PG&E and local fire officials have received multiple calls since this morning reporting gas odors in East Oakland south of the O.co Coliseum, but crews cannot locate the source of the smell, a utility spokesman said.

The odor was first reported around 9:30 a.m., according to PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno.

PG&E has a crew of eight gas technicians conducting a sweep of the area using methane gas detecting equipment and working with fire officials to locate the source of the odor. So far, however, no gas line breaks or other sources of natural gas have been located.

Natural gas is odorless, but a chemical called mercaptan is added to give it its distinctive scent. Moreno noted that there are other chemicals that can mimic the odor of natural gas, but said the utility continues to hunt for possible gas leaks.

--By Bay Area News Service

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