COWLITZ COUNTY, Wash. — A strange smell is catching people’s attention in southwest Washington, but nobody can pinpoint what it is or where it’s coming from.
People began noticing the smell late Tuesday night. Cowlitz County Fire District 5 posted on Facebook that the mystery odor first appeared in Kelso and quickly reached Clark County.
The department says it deployed monitors in the Kalama area and didn’t detect any sort of gas.
Cowlitz County Fire says it’s reached out to pipelines in the area and representatives say they haven’t had any alarms go off, pressure loss, or operational deficiencies.
No industrial facilities have reported operational issues, either.
They also reached out to railroad company BNSF who says it isn’t aware of any rail traffic issues.
The State Department of Ecology was contacted as well and can’t seem to determine where the smell is coming from.
Someone who lives near Vancouver commented on Facebook saying the smell was so strong Tuesday night that it woke her up and made her feel nauseous.
Another commenter from the Battle Ground area said the smell made their nose burn a little.
Cowlitz County Fire says the smell appears to be impacting the I-5 corridor from South Kelso to Vancouver.
Officials say they will continue to investigate the cause and update the public when they can determine where the stench is originating from.