Tara Jean Stevens said the B次元官网网址渁pocalypticB次元官网网址� stench that blanketed the Metro Vancouver community of Delta on Tuesday night was so heavy her car and garage still smelled of rotten eggs Wednesday morning.

B次元官网网址淚 had a headache all night,B次元官网网址� said Stevens, a radio host on Wave 98.3. B次元官网网址淚 never get headaches B次元官网网址� it felt thick in the air, even though you couldnB次元官网网址檛 see it.B次元官网网址�

The source was a FortisBC station near Ladner Trunk Road.

The explanation about the cause has shifted, with FortisBC attributing it to an B次元官网网址渆quipment leakB次元官网网址� in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, adding later that the leaked gas had high levels of a harmless odour additive.

It said Wednesday in another social media post the smell was B次元官网网址渄ue to a controlled releaseB次元官网网址� of gas, while a statement on the FortisBC website described the source of the smell as a B次元官网网址渕inor leakB次元官网网址� that was detected during the controlled release.

Regardless of the source, the chemical that caused the smell was mercaptan, which is typically added to odourless gas supplies so leaks are easier to detect.

The gas provider is being criticized for a lack of transparency and timely explanation about the stench Delta Mayor George Harvie said led to emergency services being flooded with calls.

Stevens said she first noticed the smell around 3 p.m. Tuesday when her son walked in the front door of their Delta home, and the smell was so strong she started to panic about what to do with her family.

B次元官网网址淚 was sitting here wondering, should I be getting in the car and getting out of here? Should I be driving until I donB次元官网网址檛 smell it anymore? Is something about to explode? It was stressful.B次元官网网址�

In a written statement, Harvie said FortisBC didnB次元官网网址檛 make a public statement on the gas release for more than four hours after initial reports about the smell were received by municipal officials.

Harvie said there was a lack of communication from FortisBC, calling it B次元官网网址渁n egregious oversight.B次元官网网址�

The heavy odour resulted in a flood of calls to police and firefighters that seriously hampered DeltaB次元官网网址檚 emergency response resources, he said.

B次元官网网址淭he stress and panic that this incident caused to both the public and our first responders was completely unnecessary,B次元官网网址� Harvie said.

He said he had asked DeltaB次元官网网址檚 city manager to conduct a full review into why residents and businesses were B次元官网网址渓eft in the darkB次元官网网址� about the release.

B次元官网网址淔ortisBC must be accountable for their delay in response causing confusion and alarm in our community.B次元官网网址�

In another written response, the City of Delta said its fire department received 19 calls transferred from 911 about the smell, and firehalls received about 100 inquiries. That doubled call volumes compared to the daily average.

In many cases, fire crews had to physically attend to make sure there were no on-site gas leaks, it said.

The City also said Delta Police received several 911 calls about the smell and about 50 non-emergency calls on Tuesday, delaying their ability to take other calls.

B次元官网网址淭he failure of FortisBC to communicate this gas odour leak had a serious impact on our emergency services whose resources should be dedicated to real emergencies,B次元官网网址� Harvie said.

At 4:56 p.m. on Tuesday, FortisBC had said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it had responded to reports about the smell and B次元官网网址渁n equipment leak causing the odour is under control.B次元官网网址�

Around 9 p.m. another social media post flagged a service alert about the smell, saying B次元官网网址済as is under control.B次元官网网址�

In its website statement issued Wednesday, FortisBC said the odour was the result of work on new equipment at a Ladner facility, where B次元官网网址渁 controlled release of gasB次元官网网址� was conducted Tuesday.

It said a minor leak was detected and brought under control by 2 p.m. B次元官网网址渁nd repairs are underway.B次元官网网址� But the leak contained a large amount of mercaptan.

B次元官网网址淭he release of gas with a high concentration of mercaptan was not anticipated and, due to the strong smell, it has been detected by residents in several communities, including Ladner, Delta, Richmond and Vancouver,B次元官网网址� the statement said.

It said that despite the strong smell, mercaptan was not hazardous to inhale B次元官网网址渨ith the quantity released in the atmosphere.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e apologize for the inconvenience this may cause residents and commuters in the area. We realize the odour is very strong but it is expected to dissipate.B次元官网网址�

The odour was so heavy on Tuesday that BC Ferries told foot passengers at its nearby terminal to stay inside during their commute, while vehicle passengers were asked to roll up their windows.

Stevens said it was crucial to find out what went wrong.

B次元官网网址淓ven if FortisBC had properly warned our community that something was happening, I still think that it was a completely inappropriate level of something in our air,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 mean, it felt apocalyptic. It was very off-putting.B次元官网网址�

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO: