Nassau police headquarters evacuated briefly for gas odor

Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola was briefly evacuated Monday afternoon after reports of a strong gas smell that turned out to be unfounded, officials said.

The Garden City Fire Department received a call about 1:36 p.m. reporting a "gas odor" said Garden City Fire Chief Bill Castoro.

The department headquarters on Franklin Avenue, where top police brass including acting Commissioner Thomas Krumpter work, was evacuated for about 15 minutes while firefighters inspected the building, said Castoro.

No gas leak was found. "It's all good," Castoro said at the scene.

Insp. Kenneth Lack, a police spokesman, said personnel in the records bureau, which is located on the first floor in the rear of the building, reported the odor. He said building maintenance, as well as the fire department responded, but "could not find the source of the odor."

Lack said the building's gas boilers are located in another building across the street, and suggested the smell may have come from a nearby construction site.