SWANSEA, Illinois — Authorities in Swansea evacuated 52 homes Thursday evening because of a potential hazard in a sewer line.
Bryan Whittaker, a spokesman for the Swansea Fire Department, said the homes in the 1600 block of North 16th Street were evacuated at about 6:15 p.m.
Whittaker said officials investigating a suspicious odor in the air pinpointed its source to a nearby sewer line.
A controlled flush of the sewer line was conducted by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, the St. Clair Special Emergency Services Association and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes at around 11:20 p.m. after the controlled flush was complete.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.