15 Minutes of Panic: Gas Leak at SHS

Around 9:20 a.m., on Thursday December 10th, a strong odor was reported in the science hallway at Scituate High School. Principal Wargo and head custodian George Sullivan were called down to Ms. Moore’s chemistry classroom (room 120), to assess the situation. After asking Ms. Moore and her B-block chemistry class if the odor was normal, they were informed that the odor seemed stronger than usual. At this point and time, the decision was made to evacuate Ms. Moore’s class and Ms. Ward’s adjoining class.

The fire department was called to find the cause of the unusual smell. The fire department determined that the odor indicated a gas leak and the decision was made to evacuate the entire school within 10 minutes of the initial discovery. A contracted plumber was contacted, and it was determined that the gas leak was coming from one specific lab bench as the result of a faulty gas hose. The situation was deemed under control, and students were allowed to return to their normal B-block classes. An email was sent out to parents and guardians at 9:45 a.m., informing them of what had occurred in an effort to stem rumors that could arise about the incident.

This gas leak, at first glance, is strikingly similar to another gas leak that occurred last year in Mr. Kimball’s room. Both resulted in a school-wide evacuation that involved an emergency response from the local fire and police departments. A closer look at each event reveals a key difference: this year’s gas leak resulted from a faulty gas hose, while last year’s incident involved a faulty valve. While each situation involved a different cause, it definitely raises the question of whether or not SHS students should be concerned about similar gas leaks in the future.