Regional Report Central Florida in 60 seconds
Foul stench at OIA could be 'deceased pests'Jason Garcia | Sentinel Staff Writer
August 6, 2008
ORLANDO - Airport-maintenance crews were called to Orlando International Airport's Airside 1 on Tuesday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents complained of a foul odor in the area. One worker said it was similar to the brutal stench that invaded the area in March, after crews doing renovation work on Airside 1 unearthed a rat's nest and exterminators were called in to kill them, leaving hidden carcasses to decompose. Ron Lewis, OIA's director of airport operations, said a team of airport workers checked ceilings, offices and mechanical rooms but were unable to find the source of the smell. Lewis said there could have been any number of possible sources, such as mildew. But the stench also "may have been that of deceased pests," said Zachary Mann, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman. Still, both agencies agreed that the smell was far lighter than the one in March. Customs inspectors in the area Tuesday were able to process their only scheduled flight without issue. Lewis said the airport planned to send crews overnight to check for the source of the odor and scrub the area. Mann said his agency was so pleased with the airport's response that "I don't want to make a stink out of it."
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