SANTA ANA (CNS) - South Coast Air Quality Management District inspectors fanned out today throughout Orange County to try to determine the cause of a smell that prompted complaints by residents in a handful of cities.
Inspectors from the agency are investigating potential causes of the stench reported by people in Costa Mesa, Orange, Anaheim Hills, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, said agency spokesman Patrick Chandler.
``We've gotten calls from residents in those cities since last (Thursday) night,'' Chandler said.
The agency is encouraging residents to report any smells they encounter to the agency's website, aqmd.gov, or call (800) CUT-SMOG.
The Orange County Fire Authority began receiving a steady stream of calls ``about a natural gas smell or unknown chemical smell'' between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., Thursday, said OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi.Firefighters in Santa Ana and Westminster were dispatched seven times at various times but could not find a source of the smell, Concialdi said.
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