The leak was traced to a vacant home on Myrtle Street, some 1,300 feet away from City Hall.
This is an update of a story originally posted at 3:19 p.m. Friday
CHICOPEE — The source of the bad odor detected Friday in City Hall has been traced to a leaking oil tank in a vacant home almost a quarter-mile away on Myrtle Street, according to Deputy Fire Chief James McInerney.
The fire department was called to city hall Friday morning to investigate the cause of a petroleum-like odor that could be detected in parts of City Hall. Two workers reported feeling nauseous because of the odor.
McInerney said firefighters and officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the regional hazardous materials team determined the source of the odor was not in City Hall. Oil fumes were apparently wafting into the building from an underground drainage pipe.
Other buildings in the downtown area had reported similar problems throughout the week, he said.
They were able to trace the odor along a storm drainage line to Myrtle Street, he said.
There they found a vacant house that had a flooded basement. He said they believe oil leaking from the fuel tank was carried into the storm drain when the basement flooded.
McInerney said there was no danger of explosion or fire from the leak.
Officials with the DEP will be contacting the owners of the house about cleaning up the leak.
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