Mysterious odor prompts evacuation of 100 homes in Pa.
A mysterious odor has prompted the evacuation of about 100 homes in Pennsylvania.
A fire chief tells WPVI-TV in Philadelphia that crews haven't pinpointed the cause of the odor, but they've gotten high readings of hydrogen cyanide in about 100 homes in a Skippack Township neighborhood. Chief Haydn Marriott tells the TV station they don't actually think the odor is hydrogen cyanide, but some other chemical. Reports of the noxious smell started coming in at about 7 p.m. Sunday.
About 150 evacuees have taken shelter in Skippack Elementary School. Some residents went to a hospital as a precaution and were released.
Two energy companies operating in the area tell the Philadelphia Inquirer they tested their natural gas systems and determined they aren't the source of the smell.
