Once upon a wintery Tuesday evening, in the quiet Shippan Point area, an intriguing mystery began to unravel.

Our Experience…

At approximately 8pm on a Tuesday evening during winter, Grp1, E4 received a call on the fire station house phone line from a concerned citizen residing in the Shippan Point area. The caller reported an unusual and objectionable smell in her kitchen and requested our assistance in identifying its source.

The caller, who was with her daughter, expressed uncertainty about the nature of the odor.  She could not determine whether it was natural gas, chemicals, a spilled bottle of acetone or something else. I obtained her address and assured her that we would respond promptly. Following standard protocol, I advised her to disconnect the call with me and dial 911 to provide them with all relevant information for their records. At her request, I assured her that we would respond without the use of lights and sirens. Subsequently, I contacted the 911 supervisor to inform them of the situation and requested a single-engine response.

Upon arrival at the scene, we were greeted by the woman and her daughter, who were standing outside on the front porch.  We were directed to the kitchen area, where the odor was reported to have originated. The caller indicated that the smell was most pronounced in a closet located beneath the stairs. Inside the closet, there was a refrigerator, an ice machine, and shelves stocked with canned and dry goods for cooking. Members of Engine 4’s crew detected a faint odor resembling acetone but were unable to pinpoint the exact source. A thorough inspection of the residence was conducted, including checks on heating and cooking systems and the using a four-gas meter throughout the entire house, but no unusual findings were reported.

I shared with the occupant a similar incident I had experienced in the past, during which it took over an hour to locate the source, which turned out to be a rotting or fermenting orange.   Although there was a basket of less-than-fresh oranges and tangerines on the woman’s kitchen counter near the closet, they did not appear to be the source of the odor. I explained to her that emptying the closet and examining each item individually for any signs of decay would be advisable.

Moldy Lemon

The following morning, the occupant called the fire station to express her gratitude and informed us that she had discovered a rotting or fermenting lemon inside a coffee can in the closet. This lemon had indeed been the source of the objectionable odor.

The science…

Rotting fruit can sometimes smell like acetone due to the presence of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are produced during the decay process. One of these compounds is ethyl acetate, which has a sweet, fruity odor similar to acetone. As fruits decompose, various chemical reactions occur, leading to the production of these VOCs.

Additionally, acetone itself is a naturally occurring VOC found in small quantities in some fruits, such as apples and pears. When fruit begins to rot, the breakdown of sugars and other organic compounds can release acetone and other VOCs, contributing to the acetone-like smell.

It’s important to note that the specific odor of rotting fruit can vary depending on the type of fruit, its ripeness, and the specific compounds produced during decomposition. While acetone-like odors are one possibility, other foul-smelling compounds may also be present, contributing to the overall unpleasant smell of rotting fruit.

Lesson Learned…
The next time you are dispatched to an odor of acetone in a residential structure or a rrestaurant, be sure to give rotting fruit a consideration. I know I have had at least a dozen strange acetone-type incidents in private residences over the years.  Now I am wondering how many of them were simply rotting fruit.  I now know at least two were the result of rotting fruit.