The smell of natural gas early Tuesday morning alarmed a number of residents in parts of Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys, but gas company and fire officials said it was the harmless result of routine work on nearby gas lines.
The Los Angeles Fire Department received numerous calls regarding the odor starting about 7 a.m., spokesman Bob Collis said. By 8 a.m., the strong smell led administrators at Riverside Drive Elementary School in Sherman Oaks to evacuate students from school buildings for 10 or 15 minutes until they received assurances from fire personnel.
