Residents across San Diego on Tuesday reported a strong chemical-like smell in their neighborhoods.
Users of neighborhood-sharing apps like Nextdoor and Ring, as well as NBC 7 employees across the county, reported the smell in San Carlos, College Area, Del Cerro, North Park and Mission Valley. Some reported the smell near Downtown, National City, as far east as Lakeside and as far south as San Ysidro.
Some said it smelled like chemicals, burning rubber or melted plastic.
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San Diego Fire-Rescue responded Tuesday morning to several locations and could not find a hazard of fire that could be causing the smell, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said. A similar incident occurred a few months ago and they could not determine the source of the smell.
The U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) ranked San Diego and Baja California's Air Quality on Tuesday as "moderate" with a 69 out of 500 AQI. Some coastal areas of Baja, including Playa de Rosarito, had air quality that was unhealthy for sensitive groups. The area near the San Ysidro Port of Entry was listed as unhealthy.
"We are aware of the issue and have received reports from concerned residents," a spokesperson for the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District said. "We are currently working to identify the source of the odor and will provide an update as soon as we have more information."
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In 2020, a strong smell had San Diego residents plugging their noses. In that instance, the stench was attributed to a red tide, which turns the ocean a reddish-brown color during the day and creates glowing blue waves at night. Scripps Institution of Oceanography said their equipment has detected two types of these microscopic organisms in recent weeks. When the micro-organisms break down, they can create a stinky sulfur-like smell. But it is not completely clear if that's what residents are smelling either.
This is a developing story. Information may change as details become available.
