Hundreds Evacuated from a Local School
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: December 17, 2007
A gas line break in Central Lubbock fills a nearby elementary school with fumes and forces hundreds of students to evacuate. Officials say the students were never in any danger, but the emergency evacuation put their crisis management plans to the test.
It happened around 10 Monday morning when officials say a construction worker accidently punctured a 2-inch gas line at 8th Street and Glenna Goodacre just a few blocks away from Ramirez Elementary on the 700 block of Avenue T. Atmos Energy worked quickly to cap the leak, but natural gas did fill the school and the heating system had to be turned off. That's when officials packed up the kids and moved them to Cavazos Middle School. School officials say their emergency safety plans ran smoothly and parents say they're impressed at how well the school handled the situation.
