MAINZ, Germany (dpa): The pungent smell of durian fruit prompted a series of fire brigade operations in the western German city of Wiesbaden, with the fire brigade being called out four times on Saturday as people worried about gas leaks, the fire brigade said.
The smell of the South-East Asian durian resembles that of gas.
On Saturday afternoon, the fire brigade was first alerted to a shopping centre where a gas smell was reportedly noticeable, but their measurements did not detect the presence of gas, and the building lacked a gas connection.
In the early evening, emergency services were called to the market again, with a gas smell noticeable once more. While searching the surrounding shops, firefighters reportedly discovered the fruits in an Asian supermarket.
The shopping centre's ventilation system had presumably distributed the smell throughout the building, they said.
During another operation in a residential building late Saturday evening, the fire brigade found that a durian fruit was responsible for the gas smell there.
For the record, the durian is a big favourite with South-East Asian people and is fondly nicknamed the 'King of Fruits'.- dpa
