By Sarah Parker | County Line Editor
A valve broke on a 500-gallon LP tank that contained about 300 gallons of LP on Monday at the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District’s construction site, causing an emergency response but resulting in no hazardous incidents.
The break occurred as the tank was being removed from Premier Cooperative truck. The tank had been intended for a temporary, heat-sheltered area for Market & Johnson workers to lay block in the school’s new addition.
The Ontario Fire Department responded, as did a member of Monroe County Emergency Management, according to N-O-W Superintendent Travis Anderson. Both the emergency management team and Ontario fire chief Kevin Knoll consulted with school staff, and they determined that it was safe for students to remain inside the school.
Though the smell of LP emanated into a few areas of the building, mainly in office areas closest to the front of the building, test results came back “perfectly,” according to Monroe County Emergency Management.
Some students were moved to alternative classroom locations as an added safety precaution but were brought back to their original classrooms within about 30 minutes, Anderson said. There was minimal disturbance to students inside the school building, he added.
The school put out a notice to parents and posted information on social media to ensure all parents knew their children were safe while the leak was being taken care of, Anderson noted.
