By Paige Orr, Fox23 News
TULSA, Okla. — “What is that smell?” That was the questions on Tulsans’ minds—and noses—early Thursday morning.
From south Broken Arrow to the west side of Tulsa, a mysterious, heavy odor had the whole metro talking. Our Facebook page was flooded with theories ranging from oil refineries and blooming Bradford Pears to a busy morning at Taco Bell.
The first clue came at 6:20 a.m. when the Tulsa Fire Department responded to a gas leak near East 31st Street and South Harvard Avenue.
However, officials quickly determined that while a small leak existed, it was not the source of the widespread stench.
Tulsa resident Marie, who was dropping her children off at school, described the experience as a “rotten egg” smell that was “very strong and everywhere” by 7:00 a.m.
Neighbors initially assumed the scent was stemming from a local factory or refinery.
TFD Public Information Officer Andy Little confirmed that their hazardous materials team utilized monitoring equipment and found no abnormal dangers in the area.
“We believe that with the change in temperature and the low wind speeds that it’s just slowly kind of migrated southeast to that area,” Little explained, noting that the 911 system received an extremely large volume of calls throughout the morning.
KRMG and Fox23 Chief Meteorologist James Aydelott explained that the city was essentially trapped under a “lid” known as a temperature inversion.
This occurs when air cools at the ground level first while remaining warmer higher up, creating a cap that prevents industrial smells from dispersing.
“We just don’t cool down that far, but when you add the light wind and the smells of industry coming out, they hit this cap,” Aydelott said. “We blame it for a lot of things and this morning we can blame the stink on it.”
Local entities also investigated the reports.
Oklahoma Natural Gas released a statement saying, “Based on the checks our teams have completed, we have not discovered issues with our facilities that would contribute to the odor smells across the expanded area. Our checks also do not indicate a Tulsa-wide issue.”
Additionally, HF Sinclair’s Tulsa refinery stated they investigated thoroughly and performed perimeter monitoring, confirming that their “facility is operating under normal conditions.”
Officials noted that as south winds picked up by mid-morning, the “stink bomb” effect vanished as the inversion cleared.
TFD reminds citizens that while this odor was a weather-related phenomenon, it is always important to call 911 if you suspect a gas leak in your immediate area to ensure there is no danger.
