Officials in Gloucester Township initially assumed it might be a natural gas leak, saying they'd received numerous 9-1-1 calls on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
But it smelled like rotten eggs, they said.
By 7 p.m., the Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said that the widespread odor was coming from the Truck Stop in East Greenwich from a trailer containing about 7,000 gallons of Lubrizol that was venting.
Lubrizol is an lubricant added to fuel oil.
"The chemical has a rotten egg smell. It is not natural gas," the OEM wrote.
Police, Fire, EMS, Haz-Mat, OEM and NJDEP were on location mitigating the situation. "It is recommended to stay indoors and limit outdoor activities at this time," OEM wrote online.
Police in surrounding towns like Deptford Township and Cherry Hill were also receiving reports of the same smell.
“The odor continues to linger throughout our area as well as throughout Camden County,” Cherry Hill police said in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 11. “As you venture out today, you will continue to smell the odor. You may smell the odor inside your home as well. We are aware of the odor; there is no need to report the odor.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Highlands and receive free news updates.