A nursery school in the south of France was evacuated yesterday (June 4) due to a mystery smell… which turned out to be a spicy goulash in the school canteen.
Children and teachers left the building just after midday when the odour wafted through the corridors.
Originating from the kitchen, staff feared it may have been a gas leak and evacuated Parmentier school in Foix (Ariège) as a precautionary measure and called the emergency services.
Firefighters searched for traces of a gas leak but did not find anything.
A nearby school then complained of a similar odour coming from their kitchen, which emergency services also investigated.
When no trace of a gas leak was found in either building, a thorough search of the kitchens led noses to a spicy dish prepared for the children’s lunch.
The schools both receive lunch supplies from the same catering service, which for June 4 included goulash – a spicy Hungarian soup.
When reheated, the combination of spices used to make the dish gave off a smell similar to mercaptan, a scent used to ‘perfume’ odourless gases to warn of the presence of a leak.
Pupils at the Parmentier nursery school returned to classes this morning, however it is unclear if any of the goulash was eaten.
