Residents on Friday reported a pungent odor that seemed to be blanketing the northwestern part of San Diego County.
NBC 7 received several reports from North County communities, stretching from Camp Pendleton to Encinitas, about a "strange odor" that left some with a burning sensation in their throat. Others equated the smell to previous large brush fires or burning tires, but nobody could pinpoint what the exact smell was or where it was coming from.
By 8 p.m., nearly two dozen air quality complaints resembling a mix of plastic and asphalt had been reported, a spokesperson with the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) shared, noting that those smells tended to dissipate quickly.
"Due to the fleeting nature of the odors, we have been unable to identify the source at this time. However, we can confirm that these odors are not related to the fire at the SDG&E battery facility in Escondido," said Melina Meza with the county's APCD.
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Earlier in the afternoon, the city of Carlsbad wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the city was working with county health officials to determine the source and was monitoring the air quality.
As of 5:15 p.m., the city announced that scheduled events in Carlsbad were taking placed as planned.
The Oceanside Fire Department also posted on X Friday afternoon, saying its department had received numerous calls about a strong burning or chemical odor. The department added that there was no immediate life hazard.
Just after 6 p.m., the agency sent an update that Oceanside Fire was working with the County Office of Emergency Services, a Hazardous Materials team as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct air sample testing.
A County of San Diego spokesperson confirmed to NBC 7 that the county's Office of Emergency Services was monitoring the odor reports and that the Air Pollution Control District was assessing the situation with support from the county’s Hazardous Incident Response Team.
Petty Officer Richard Uranga, a Coast Guard public affairs specialist, shared that USCG members were involved in the odor investigation and had even launched their helicopter to search the area, but results from their flight had not yet been reported as of about 7:30 p.m.
An earlier statement from the county shared that the Coast Guard had no reports of a spill in the area.
The smells were reported about a day after a lithium-ion battery fire ignited at an SDG&E storage facility in Escondido.
“Along with the San Diego County Hazardous Materials Division, the San Diego County Health Department and the City of Escondido, SDG&E has been actively monitoring air quality at the site of the fire and in the evacuation area throughout the incident," SDG&E shared along with Escondido Fire in a joint statement Friday morning.
SDG&E added in its statement that it, along with county officials, determined that the air quality does not pose a health risk for those on site or in the evacuation area.
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