Residents report odor coming from creek near Reed Park in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - Neighbors in South Riverside Heights in Tampa have reported a strong smell of fuel coming from a creek near their homes.

Tampa odor investigation

What we know:

Tampa Fire Rescue was called to the neighborhood on Monday after residents reported a possible hazmat situation.

Neighbors described an odor that smelled like diesel coming from the creek that connects to a pond and the Hillsborough River near Reed Park.

One neighbor says the odor has lingered for the last couple of days.

Paul Pielock, who lives in the neighborhood, raised concerns because it's a residential area where people walk, take their dogs and where children play outside.

"We could smell this smell that you could almost taste, and then, you could look at the water on the creek and there was a sheen to it, and it didn't smell, I mean it really was very pungent, and then we walked down to the actual park, and you could see it going through the creek into the pond and then into the actual river, Hillsborough River," Paul Pielock said.

Environmental regulatory response

What we don't know:

Tampa Fire Rescue officials referred Fox 13 to the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission.

It's still unconfirmed whether something was dumped into the waterway.

Fox 13 has reached out to the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, and we will update this story when we get a response.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Tampa Fire Rescue, which referred Fox 13 to the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, as well as area residents.