Brief release of potentially dangerous sour gas in northwest Alberta

There was a release of potentially dangerous sour gas near a small community in northwestern Alberta, RCMP said Friday.

Police said the gas was released Friday afternoon by a plant near Bay Tree about 100 kilometres northwest of Grande Prairie.

First responders and energy industry safety staff determined the gas release happened once and does not pose an ongoing safety or health concern.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Police said they received lots of calls from people wondering if they should leave the area.

Monitoring equipment has not detected any more gas and there is no risk to public safety, RCMP added.

The Alberta Energy Regulator website says sour gas is natural gas that contains measurable amounts of hydrogen sulphide that smells like rotten eggs and is poisonous to humans and animals.

RCMP said if the situation changes, people in the area would be notified.