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High level of hydrogen sulfide forces road closure

SALEM–A section of Southeast Boulevard was closed for two hours Sunday evening after a resident reported the smell of natural gas.

The Salem Fire Department responded to the 2200 block of Southeast Boulevard at 5:54 p.m. where a resident reported the smell of rotten eggs and sulfur. Firefighters found the smell coming from the sanitary sewer system and detected a high level of hydrogen sulfide.

A nearby home was evacuated as a precaution after the resident reported the smell in the home, but nothing was found. The road was closed and each house in the area checked, with nothing being found.

The water department flushed the sewer with a vacuum to cleanse the system of the hazard.

The Salem Police Department provided traffic control until the water department finished.

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