"Smells Like Gas": Repeated Reports at Supermarket... What Firefighters Discovered

Suspected Gas Leak Reported at a Shopping Mall in Germany
Source Revealed to Be the Smell of the Tropical Fruit Durian
Durian's Polarizing Aroma Sparks Strong Reactions
Ethanethiol, a Gas Additive, Is to Blame
Similar Incident in Jung-gu, Seoul in February 2023
About 10 Tenants Evacuated Due to the Smell

Durian, also known as the "King of Tropical Fruits," is considered a delicacy in several Asian countries, but it is also notorious for its polarizing aroma, which people either love or hate. Due to its strong and unpleasant smell, some countries have banned bringing durian onto public transportation or into hotels. Recently, there was an incident at a shopping mall in Germany where a report of a suspected gas leak prompted the fire department to respond, but they were unable to find the source and left the scene. After another report was received, the fire department investigated further and eventually discovered that the smell believed to be a gas leak was actually caused by the tropical fruit durian.

There was an incident at a shopping mall in Germany where a gas leak suspicion report was received, prompting the fire department to respond. It was later revealed that the cause was the smell of the tropical fruit durian. Getty Images

On October 14, Yonhap News TV reported, citing German media outlets such as dpa and Deutsche Welle (DW), about a gas leak report at a shopping center in Wiesbaden, Germany, on October 4. At the time, the German fire department responded to a report of a gas smell at the scene. The firefighters who arrived at the shopping center clearly detected an odor similar to gas inside the building. However, the building was not supplied with gas, and gas detectors did not detect any gas. As a result, the firefighters ventilated the building and then left the scene.

The reason for confusing the smell of durian with that of gas is due to the presence of the compound "ethanethiol" in durian. Ethanethiol is an organosulfur compound that has a distinctive odor, and because of this characteristic, it is artificially added to colorless and odorless city gas to help people recognize it. Pixabay

However, not long after the initial response, another report was received about a gas smell at the same shopping center, prompting the fire department to return to the scene. This time, the fire department searched nearby stores and eventually found the source: durian being sold at an Asian supermarket. According to the fire department, the shopping center's ventilation system had spread the smell of durian throughout the building. Even after this incident, there were additional reports of gas leaks at the shopping center, but the source of the smell was again determined to be durian, not gas.

Previously, in South Korea in February 2023, the smell of durian was mistaken for a gas leak, leading to the evacuation of about 10 tenants from a six-story building in Jung-gu, Seoul. In another case in 2018, the rotten smell of durian at a university library in Melbourne, Australia, was mistaken for a gas leak, causing 500 people to evacuate.

Durian, also known as the "King of Tropical Fruits." Photo by Pixabay

The reason people confuse the smell of durian with that of gas is due to the presence of "ethanethiol" in durian. Durian is an evergreen tree of the Bombacaceae family, and while its large fruit is covered in thick spines, the flesh is very sweet and edible, and it contains ethanethiol. Ethanethiol is an organosulfur compound with a distinct odor, and because of this characteristic, it is artificially added to colorless and odorless city gas to make it detectable by people.