Haz-Mat Assignment For Strange Odor In Grocery Store

November 10, 2006...Vito Maggiolo
A mysterious odor in an upper Northwest commercial shopping area brought hazmat assignments to the scene twice on Friday, November 10th.

Units were first called to the scene that morning when the undetermined odor was first detected in McGruders market at 5614 Connecticut Avenue N.W. After an extensive search and taking of readings, the problem was believed traced to a defective refrigeration unit.

Around 4 PM, an unusual smell was detected in the store and a hazmat assignment was again dispatched. McGruders and several adjacent

occupancies were evacuated as firefighters and Washington Gas employees took extensive readings to try to identify the nature and source of the odor. It was eventually determined that the elusive odor apparently posed no threat, and the occupancies were turned back over to their owners.