GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – An unexplained odor that swept through neighborhoods north of Brunswick, Georgia on Thursday left several people with headaches and sent multiple students and staff from Altama Elementary School to the hospital, Glynn County officials said.
Residents in the Kensington Park area described the smell as overpowering, prompting some to leave their homes and seek fresh air.
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“It was so miserable,” Nesha Mack told News4JAX. “You had to go out to your car and get a mask. It was exhausting. You couldn’t really breathe.”
Rebecca Porter shared a similar sentiment.
“It didn’t feel good to breathe it in,” she said. “Like you were concerned about what you were smelling.”
Michael Reed, a parent of an Altama Elementary student, went to the school to pick up his stepdaughter after officials alerted parents. He said his stepdaughter saw a classmate collapse.
He said he was frustrated and confused when his stepdaughter shared what she saw with him.
Glynn County officials contacted facilities that store or use large amounts of chemicals; those facilities told officials they had no leaks or releases.
Air-monitoring equipment from multiple agencies was deployed across reported areas, and officials said readings and on-site checks showed no signs of a chemical release or any threat to the public.
Officials also said that the exact source of the odor has not been identified and that atmospheric conditions may have affected how the smell concentrated or traveled.
Later on Thursday, Glynn County Schools confirmed that the Altama Elementary campus was safe.
According to the district, public safety officials and Atlanta Gas Light completed a full inspection of the school and found no on-site gas. Inspectors determined the smell is coming from an off-site location and is being carried into the area by the wind.
District officials emphasized this was a community-wide event rather than a localized school problem. Local law enforcement and other emergency agencies are working to identify the off-site source of the odor, the district said.
Glynn County Schools said it would continue coordinating with Glynn County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency and other partners.
The district noted that any further updates about the source of the odor or the investigation will come from local emergency management and public safety agencies.