ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — You weren't alone if you've been in Lakewood recently and smelled a strange odor. It's a mystery smell that has bugged many residents, and now we've found out what it is.
Reports of the smell came in between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. over the last few weeks from Lakewood and surrounding communities like Rocky River and Fairview Park. Multiple agencies were aware of the stink, but none could make any "scents" of it.
“We’ve engaged our hazmat team to try and see if we can pinpoint and get an answer,” said Rocky River Fire Chief Aaron Lenart. "We don’t know if it’s something coming down the I-90 corridor. We don’t know if it’s something on the railroad corridor. We don’t know if it’s overhead; we don’t know if it’s a factory.”
Some people reported it smelled like some sort of fuel, which was right on the nose.
According to NASA, the smell was jet fuel the agency has been using to simulate space exploration flight tests.
"NASA Glenn develops new technologies that advance aviation and space exploration. As part of that mission, we routinely run tests in our facilities to simulate flight conditions," the agency said.
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That brought Jesse Brillinger and the team at the Cleveland Department of Public Health, which oversees air quality for the county, into the mix.
"In this case, we did get over 20 complaints, all from people in the same area all pretty much saying the same thing," Brillinger said. "So that’s pretty out of the ordinary."
Don't worry though, NASA said testing is scheduled to conclude Friday and the smell should dissipate.
"We understand the smell has been unpleasant. It’s important to us to be good neighbors to the community, and we will look for ways to mitigate it in the future," the agency said.
Resident complaints in Cuyahoga County can be submitted by calling 216-664-7442 or by filling out the form here.
Watch our previous report below:
