Gas leak forces kids from school

Published 9:04 am Thursday, November 13, 2008

MUKILTEO — Children and teachers were evacuated from Endeavour Elementary School on Wednesday after a nearby natural gas line broke and leaked fumes into the school.

Paramedics examined about 20 children who felt sick, but none appeared to be seriously ill, said Krystn McArthur, a spokeswoman for the Mukilteo Fire Department. No one was taken to the hospital by paramedics, she said.

Administrators evacuated the school around 10 a.m., shortly after the gas line broke.

“The smell of gas became strong enough we decided to evacuate the school,” said Mukilteo School District spokesman Andy Muntz.

Students and teachers spent an hour in a covered area near the playground while firefighters checked the school.

At 10:45 a.m., the kids marched back to class in the rain, many wrapped in garbage bags to keep warm.

Most of the students examined by paramedics complained of nausea, Mukilteo Fire Capt. Larry Nunnally said. Parents of sick kids were called.

The gas line break happened about a quarter-mile from the school in a residential neighborhood in Mukilteo. No one in the neighborhood complained of sickness, McArthur said. A utility company was working in the area when the leak occurred.

Nunnally believes wind blew the gas toward the school, and Endeavour’s heating system spread the odor.

Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.