Accurately reported that the source
which was first (again) with the story when it happened -- accurately reported that the source and composition of the odor was then and remains for now undetermined.
LBREPORT.com has reported in detail on previous "mystery stinks" and followed-up the day after on this latest incident. We learned that in addition to the roughly 20 calls received by LBFD, the LB Gas Dept. received roughly 40 calls, and AQMD received about 12 calls reporting the odor (variously described on social networks and in emails as a refinery type or gas type smell.)
SCAQMD Media Relations Manager Sam Atwood tells LBREPORT.com via email:
...We dispatched a standby, after-hours inspector who arrived in the Belmont Shore area around 11 p.m. He did not detect any odors in that area nor along Ocean Avenue. Due to the late hour several of the complainants were not available to meet with our inspector. However he did meet with one complainant who described the odor as smelling like natural gas.
We do have standby inspectors on call after hours as well as on weekends, so should the odor recur this weekend and we receive complaints, we will again respond to them.
LBFD dispatched Engine 14 which couldn't find a source. Kevin Untener, Superintendent-Operations for the Long Beach Gas & Oil Dept., provided LBREPORT.com with the agency's procedure for investigating outside odor calls:
Long Beach Gas and Oil (LBGO) received approximately 40 calls last night between the hours of 10:30 and 11:30 PM regarding an odor outside resembling natural gas. LBGO sent a field representative to investigate and it was determined not to be natural gas by way of sniff test and electronic sniff test.