Mystery stench moves through Houston, causes alarm

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - First thing this morning, Amy Anguiano knew something was wrong.

"Really bad. Like it really stank. All my sisters heads started hurting,"  said the 13-year-old.

Her subdivision is tucked away near the junction of Wallisville Road and McCarty on the northeast side. She and her mom assumed the smell was coming from the Magellan Pipeline tank farm next door. After all, they usually can smell oil in the morning.

This was different. The winds from the northeast started blowing whatever it was to the southwest, towards Eliot Elementary school, prompting a visit from CenterPoint crews, the fire department and parents like Gabby Banda.

"I did smell something at my house and I just thought it was something with my A/C. It just smelled like a gas stove was on but it hasn't been on yet," she said.

As the smell moved across the city, social media lit up -- the public complaining and the fire department and CenterPoint Energy assuring them they were trying to find the source. It wasn't going away, even prompting the evacuation of the municipal court house.

"The judge was really lightheaded and we heard on the intercom that everybody needed to get out. They cleared everybody out of the building," said Libny Pineda.

By mid-day the smell was clearing out, but law enforcement agencies in Fort Bend County were warning people it was on the way -- whatever it was.

A spokesperson for Magellan says it wasn't them, they don't even handle natural gas here.

Regardless, it will be a long time before Anguiano forgets that smell. "Like really, really, really, bad...."