Smell of fuel at crash site?
I hope it's not inappropriate to ask this question, but in several articles today, I've seen a statement that the smell of fuel at the crash site is significant in helping identify what happened:
example (emphasis mine):
French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier said the strong smell of aircraft fuel at the crash site and the fact that the debris was scattered over a relatively small area also suggested the cause of the crash was linked to weather, a technical problem or an accumulation of such factors.
I'd like to learn more about what the smell of fuel might mean and how it helps investigators. Thanks.