Durian aroma is known to clear a whole building or two!

Recently the King of Fruits caused a big scene in RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) of Melbourne, Australia after its pungent aroma was mistaken as a gas leak in the university's library.

On the Saturday afternoon of April 28, approximately 500 students and faculty members were evacuated by the police after the "smell of gas" was reported at the RMIT University's library. The building was used to store potentially dangerous chemicals.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) of Melbourne was summoned to the library just after 3pm to trace the origin of the smell.

"After a comprehensive search, fire-fighters identified the smell was not chemical gas, but gas generated from rotting durian, an extremely pungent fruit which had been left rotting in a cupboard," said the chief of MFB.

The pungent smell had permeated the whole building through the centralized air conditioning system.
It is not known why and by whom the durian was left in a cupboard.

Durian is known as the King of Fruits for its extraordinary creamy flesh, formidable thorny shell, and strong aroma. The smell is sufficiently pungent and lingering that the fruit is forbidden from most hotels, public buildings, and public transport.

Even though the fruit originates from Southeast Asia, it is exported to neighboring countries like Australia and can be found in grocery stores and supermarkets.

This is certainly not the first time durians have caused mayhem.

In April 2017, a building at Manchester University, England had to be vacated over a suspected gas leak. As it turned out the “gas leak” originated from a pungent durian as well.

In 2014, patients and staff from a Melbourne hospital were evacuated amid concerns there was a gas leak at one of the wards. Again, durian was the source of the stench.

In 2013, an entire row of shops in Plymouth, England was evacuated in fear of a suspected gas leak. The smell was eventually traced to a rotting durian.

The Southeast Asians who are familiar with the distinctive smell of durians are reported can easily differentiate the smell of a durian from other sources.


#durian #kingoffruits

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Durian - love it or loathe it at first sniff!

Jessica Chastain loves durian!