That bad odor in Fort Collins Wednesday isn’t the smell of natural gas, but a sign of a mistake, fire officials said
“The problem seems to stem from Xcel Energy injecting too much Mercaptan into their system,” the Poudre Valley Fire Authority stated in an e-mail.
Poudre Valley Fire Authority, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and Windsor Severance Fire Rescue had been getting a lot of calls from people fearful of a natural gas leak.
The odorous area is south of Horsetooth Road and east of Shields Street in Fort Collins.
” We encourage customers to air out a building before calling 911.” Poudre Valley Fire Authority stated. “If the problem still exists please call 911.”
Mercaptan is a chemical with a sulfur smell that is added to natural gas, which is odorless and colorless, to alert people to a leak.
