The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) says the source of an unusual odour in a Middle Sackville, N.S., neighbourhood has been found and residents in the area can return home. Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency’s Hazardous Materials team and RCMP members responded to reports of a “chemical smell” in the Claudia Crescent, Lucy Court and Flora Court area around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The smell was coming from within certain homes and the sewer system. About 70 households were affected and residents self-evacuated as needed. More than a dozen residents used an evacuation centre at the Sackville Sports Stadium in Lower Sackville overnight. Crews were able to isolate the source of the smell to a catch basin at the corner of Claudia Crescent and Flora Court. The municipality says it was a petroleum-based substance, although the exact material and amount are not known. Halifax Water flushed additional water through the sewer system to isolate the substance and then vacuumed it out. The situation was resolved around 3 a.m. Friday. Residents are returning home and the evacuation centre is closing. The municipality is reminding residents and businesses that hazardous materials, including petroleum-based substances, should never be dumped into the wastewater system. “Improper disposal of these substances can create public safety risks, impact the environment and disrupt municipal infrastructure. Residents should always use approved hazardous waste disposal services for these materials,” reads a news release from HRM. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
