Ashland Fire Department Investigates Natural Gas Smell

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ASHLAND – Ashland Fire Department received numerous calls for natural gas smell, and determined it was from the gas plant in a neighboring community.

“We received and investigated a lot of calls for the smell of natural gas throughout the town. Investigation found that the Gas Plant in Hopkinton had an odorant release,” wrote Ashland Fire.

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The wind “was blowing North East at approximately 10 mph and carried this odor across the town,” said the department. “Methanethiol, also known as methyl mercaptan, is an organosulfur compound. It is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell. This chemical is used in the natural gas industry as an odorant, as it mixes well with methane.”

“The characteristic ‘rotten eggs’ smell of the mix is widely known by natural gas customers as an indicator of a possible gas leak, even a very minor one,” wrote the Fire Department on social media.