Rotting food prompts German gas leak scare

BERLIN — Emergency officials called to check out a suspected gas leak in Germany found a culprit they didn't expect: a fridge full of rotting food.

Police in the central city of Braunschweig said Thursday that the fire service evacuated an apartment block in the city Wednesday night after being alerted to the smell of gas by a resident.

They then searched for the source and traced it to a fridge in the apartment of the 35-year-old woman who had alerted authorities. It wasn't plugged in and was full of rotting food.

Residents were allowed back into their apartments after half an hour.