The Nassau Fire Marshal says a private landfill in Melville is the likely source of a strange smell reported in Plainview near Old Bethpage Village Restoration.
News 12 Long Island was told that 110 Sand Company apparently had a problem earlier in the week with the system it uses to control the odor coming from the landfill. The system is being repaired.
Nassau County authorities reported several dozen complaints from residents in the area. Residents described the smell as something between rotten eggs, sulfur and sewage.
The odor is believed to have started Wednesday evening. Some residents left their homes for the night due to concerns about the smell.
Officials say fire departments, utility companies and hazmat teams were sent to the dig site. Air samples were taken, but turned up nothing that indicated any toxicity in the air.
Vincent McManus, of the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office, says the area is safe. The Nassau County Health Department plans to follow up on the incident.