Columbus Fire officials said that they’re still trying to find the source of a foul smell being reported city-wide.

“About 7 or 8 a.m. I went outside this morning and it smelled like gas,” Upper Arlington resident Donna Jones said.

She was not alone. Residents in cities including Delaware, Grove City, Columbus and Dublin called utility companies and fire houses reporting a stench. Columbus Fire Department alone handled more than 50 reports.

Fire officials say the dozens of calls began after midnight and had tapered before noon.

Columbia Gas confirmed they have taken in a large volume of calls, but have found no signs of leaks. Officials say the company plans to check on all of the more than 1000 reports of odors.

Delaware County Emergency Communications also received numerous calls regarding an unknown odor. Several fire departments have been dispatched to the affected area of US 23 from the city of Delaware south of the county line.

10TV Meteorologists explain a temperature inversion may be in play. That is essentially a warm air mass above the region that could hold the ground air stagnant.

Fire and Utility companies recommend anyone detecting an unusual and concerning odor to continue reporting the issue. They say they plan to continue responding to all runs to ensure each situation is safe.

Columbia Gas of Ohio issued the following statement on the smell:

On Tuesday, we received almost 1,000 calls from customers reporting an odor similar to natural gas. We have been actively responding to each call and treating the calls as priorities.

Our crews are continuing to investigate each odor call. As of 4:00 p.m., we have not found any natural gas issue that would explain today’s odor across the city of Columbus.

Customers did the right thing by contacting us immediately to report the odor.

While today’s investigation of the calls appear to not be related to natural gas, customers who smell an odor of natural gas (a sulfur or rotten egg odor) should leave the area immediately, move to a safe location and call Columbia Gas of Ohio at 800-344-4077 and 911.