Firefighters, MG&E Investigate Odor at East Side Walmart

A Walmart staffer noticed a “really bad smell” in the store Sunday evening—something she couldn’t quite identify but reportedly had a sulfuric odor to it. The Madison Fire Department was called to investigate.
 
Engine 8 noticed the smell when they arrived to the store. They went onto the roof and found a heating unit that didn’t seem to be functioning properly. They turned off the unit and consulted with a MG&E technician who was also on scene.
 
The MG&E technician told MFD that it’s common for roof units to misfire in the winter—for example, by sucking exhaust into the intake and sending it back into the building. They weren’t sure if that was the problem in this case.
 
Firefighters used their air monitors inside the store and on the roof but detected no air quality concerns.
 
MG&E remained on scene to continue inspecting some of the other rooftop heating units, and the store manager also summoned the help of building maintenance. Store operations were not impacted.