ACGC students are evacuated during neighborhood gas leak

ATWATER -- About 200 children were evacuated Wednesday from the elementary school in Atwater after a natural gas line was accidentally severed during a construction project in an alley near the school.

The students were taken to a nearby church and then bused home early.

A dozen homes in a two- to three-block area were also targeted for evacuation.

Most residents were not at home. Of the four residents who answered the door, three went to friends' or relatives' homes, according to Atwater Police Chief Reed Schmidt. One resident opted to stay put in his home.

The CenterPoint Energy gas line was cut around 11:40 a.m. while construction crews were digging in an alley near the intersection of Third Street and Washington Avenue.

"The gas was leaking out quite rapidly," Schmidt said. "We wanted to get the students out of the school."

Schmidt said there was no "serious danger" to the school or neighborhood, but he wanted to make sure the community was safe while crews evaluated the leak. School officials were notified about 11:45 a.m.

Dr. Keith Redfield, superintendent of the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District, said the school was evacuated at the recommendation of the Atwater police as a precautionary measure.

"To be on the safe side, we decided to evacuate our students," he said.

The Atwater Police Department, Atwater Fire Department and rescue squad helped escort the students to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, about a block away from ACGC North Elementary. The building houses kindergarten through fourth-grade students, as well as a day-care center.

Buses arrived around 1:20 p.m. and took the children home. Redfield said students and teachers remained calm throughout the procedure.

"It's not like it was a crisis situation," Redfield said. "There wasn't any reason for anyone to panic. It was almost like a practice session, rather than a crisis session."

Schmidt praised the school for how it handled the evacuation. "The school did an excellent job," he said. "They should be commended."

The gas was shut off within an hour of the break and repairs were made in the afternoon.

Once school bus drivers finished delivering the ACGC North students, they made the rounds again at the end of the school day to take the rest of the district's students home. Redfield said ACGC North would be back in session this morning.