Malaysian family’s durian sparks gas leak scare in Paris apartment building
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It is not confirmed if the durian was the source of the smell of gas, as the family hid the durian.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM FAROY/TIKTOK
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A Malaysian family living in Paris accidentally sparked panic after a durian they were feasting on led to concerns of a gas leak in their apartment building.
The authorities even came a-knocking to hunt for the source of the “troubling” scent.
In a video posted to TikTok on Nov 9 by user FroyJall, the family is seen opening a pre-packed packet of durian and eating the fruit with pulut, or glutinous rice.
The video then shows firefighters at the family’s door, asking if they smell gas in their apartment.
A firefighter steps into the apartment for a few seconds, and leaves after smelling nothing amiss.
Overlaid text on the video says the firefighters continue to search for the source of the smell, which appears to be coming from the family’s apartment floor.
The video then shows a fire truck at the end of the street.
“Sorry, my neighbours,” reads text on the video.
In the comments, the original poster, who goes by Ms Faroy, said a neighbour on the sixth floor called the fire brigade as they thought they smelled a gas leak. The family lives on the second floor.
As the firefighters were unable to find the source of the smell, Ms Faroy said, the gas company was called to check the gas levels at the building but found nothing concerning.
It is not confirmed if the durian was the source of the smell of gas, as Ms Faroy said her family hid the durian.
The leftover durian was kept in the fridge, while the eaten parts were tied up in a plastic bag and put in a different room, she said.
“We opened the windows and quickly sprayed room fragrance,” she said in the comments.
Some commenters criticised the family for not declaring to the firefighters that they had eaten durian, saying it was a waste of public resources for the firefighters to continue searching the premises.
Ms Faroy said her family did not admit to the firefighters that the durian could have been the source of the smell out of fear that they would be fined and asked to vacate their home.
When asked in the comments how the smell could have reached others in the building, Ms Faroy said the family’s dining room is located near the building’s stairwell.
She said the family had procured the fruit from their local Chinatown for €35 (S$52.75).
This is not the first time the smell of durian has been likened to the smell of gas. In Germany, firefighters received three reports in a day
