Natural gas odor prompts evacuation of Rowley school, over a dozen treated for illness
One student and one staff member were taken to the hospital after a natural gas odor prompted the evacuation of an elementary school in Rowley on Tuesday morning, officials said.
First responders were called to Pine Grove Elementary School after several people reported an odor of natural gas inside a music room, according to emergency and school officials.
“It smelled like gas,” said 10-year-old Bradley Matos, who is in 5th Grade. “My teacher told me it was from the fan that was running up on the roof.”
There was no immediate word on the condition of the student and staffer who were transported from the scene.
Authorities said the smell was isolated to a classroom used by 5th Graders for music instruction and National Grid quickly ruled out a gas leak. Firefighters arrived to find the school empty -- with students and staff waiting at a ‘safe spot’ across the street -- a Roman Catholic Church lot -- and they were able to pinpoint the source of the odor to one or more HVAC units on the roof.
What’s still not known is exactly what caused the smell. In all, EMTs evaluated 15 staff and students for illness-- but Rowley Fire Department Chief Mark Emery didn’t know what symptoms they suffered.
Parents and the school superintendent praised the quick, decisive action taken by the staff at Pine Grove.
“We have safety committees at each of our buildings and we routinely practice for these types of situations,” said Superintendent Brian Forget. “The students and the staff did a tremendous job leaving the school in an orderly fashion.”
About 90 minutes after the evacuation began, it ended -- with students resuming their normal school day.
“It’s 100 percent safe,” said Emery. “We had the gas company go through with all their meters and there was nothing dangerous in the building for the students.”
Firefighters planned to monitor the situation through the afternoon.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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