Crews unable to determine source of mysterious odor

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

Thirty people were sickened, including seven who were hospitalized, after a mysterious odor spread inside a building at Flamingo Road and Burnham Street about 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Clark County Fire Department Hazardous Materials crews and firefighters responded to the Academy of Healing Arts after a call that people were fainting after smelling an irritating odor, fire department emergency medical services Supervisor Russ Cameron said. But authorities were unable to determine the exact source of the smell late Tuesday.

Students and instructors inside the first-floor academy were treated by paramedics and those who had fainted or were having trouble breathing were taken across the street to Desert Springs Hospital. Conditions were not immediately available.

"People were passing out, having chest pains and had trouble breathing," academy instructor Robin Mlynski, who was not affected by the odor, said.

The Nevada State Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement Section investigators were on the scene Tuesday night and were scheduled to return today with sophisticated chemical analysis equipment to try to find out what caused the odor.

"As of right now, we really don't know what it was," OSHES Chief Administrative Officer for Enforcement Tom Czehowski said today. "By the time we got there last night, the odor had dissipated. We detected nothing."

Czehowski said further interviews will be conducted today with medical students and others who were at the site Tuesday.

Students at the academy put their training to use Tuesday, taking pulses and checking heart rates.

"We also brought garbage cans to the people throwing up," student Martie Nicholson said. "At least three or four people passed out."

Fire Capt. Greg Cassell said Southwest Gas crews were checking for natural gas leaks but found none.

Construction workers painting, gluing floor tiles or installing ceiling panels during the day could also be sources of the sickening odor, he said.

Forty-five firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene, but the source was not identified when the investigation ended about 10:30 p.m., Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said.

The HazMat team checked the air for methane gas from sewer pipes or sewage, deadly odorless carbon monoxide and several other gases, Leinbach said.

"Right now there is not much more we can do, but we are not sending them into a life-threatening situation," Leinbach said. Blood tests of those taken to the hospital might reveal an unusual chemical, he said.

Building manager Chris McGeary said about 100 people work in the Flamingo Plaza building.

The manager said the building will be open as usual today, but environmental testing will be conducted.

A woman who answered the phone this morning at the Academy of Medical and Business Careers said the company was open but that no classes would be held today.

"It wasn't a rotten egg odor, but it definitely was an odor," academy instructor Shelley Cheney said before she was taken to the hospital.

"It's kind of scary," medical assistant student Pamela Mathews said. "They evacuated the building. A lot of people were crying. They were scared.

"We didn't know what was going on, but it was pretty intense," Mathews said, adding that she was hoping to be back in school today.