When durian strikes: German firefighters called out four times in one day for ‘gas leak’ in Wiesbaden

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Not all alarms are emergencies: German firefighters were repeatedly called out after the pungent durian fruit was mistaken for a gas leak. — Picture by Farhan Najib

MAINZ (Germany), Oct 5 — The pungent smell of durian fruit prompted a series of fire brigade operations in the western German city of Wiesbaden, with the fire brigade being called out four times on Saturday as people worried about gas leaks, according to the fire brigade, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The smell of the South-east Asian durian resembles that of gas.

On Saturday afternoon, the fire brigade was alerted to a shopping centre following reports of a gas smell. However, their measurements detected no presence of gas, and the building had no gas connection.

In the early evening, emergency services were called to the market again, with a gas smell noticeable once more. While searching the surrounding shops, firefighters reportedly discovered the fruits in an Asian supermarket. The shopping centre's ventilation system had presumably distributed the smell throughout the building, they said.

During another operation in a residential building late Saturday evening, the fire brigade found that a durian fruit was responsible for the gas smell there. — Bernama-dpa