'Puddles were bright orange': What's causing the oil smell in Oak Park?
OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Only on 2.
An unknown orange substance showed up in several backyards in Oak Park. No one knows for sure what it is, only that the smell has been around for weeks.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza has been trying to get to the bottom of who's responsible.
You can still smell something like petroleum in the air. After CBS 2 started asking questions, the owners of the house where the substance was first spotted were handed a notice of violation from the Village of Oak Park.
It basically said figure out what that orange oil is and do it quick.
"Our kids ask us pretty much every day ask if they can play in the backyard and we have to tell them no," said Oak Park resident Brett Mares.
Time in the backyard is on hold because of orange oil. No one knows what it is or if its safe. Mares has two young boys and is currently receiving cancer treatment. He reached out to CBS 2.
"Those puddles were bright orange."
When neighbors first spotted it, some left their homes for days because the smell was so bad.
"The kids were complaining of headaches and sore throats. And we just thought we don't know what's going on, and there's no way we're gonna stick around and find out."
They complained to the Village of Oak Park, Cook County and the fire department, thinking it could be from construction at a neighbor's house and possibly an old oil storage tank was the cause.
"Nobody wants to help. Every every government agencies pointing the finger at one another."
CBS 2 found out that the homeowners in question were previously asked by Cook County to figure out the cause of the problem. An initial study was done which showed pipes in the ground where they were digging, but no tank that could have been the source of the oil.
CBS 2 went to the source who denied the oil came from their yard. Jake Rundall lives in the house.
"Not from the property. It's not for my property," Rundall said. "We're not we're not aware of which property is coming from."
CBS 2 asked about the most recent violation, which was just received.
"They've reported that they would like us to a further examination, but there is no deep rooted, there's nothing in that letter, there's no deep-rooted proof that is something from our yard," Rundall said.
The Village of Oak Park said that because the oil was first spotted there, that's why they got the violation, not because they know the actual source. The property owners are still responsible for getting to the bottom of it.
"We've been, essentially, bullied by some of our neighbors into trying to deal with this," Rundall said.
According to this notice of violation, they have until March 29th come up with a plan. If they don't, the Village of Oak Park said it would revisit possible consequences after they see what happens by that deadline.
