JURUPA VALLEY: Natural gas odor in classrooms, bathroom, forces evacuations

JURUPA VALLEY — Reports of middle school students and faculty members smelling natural gas in two classrooms and a restroom forced the evacuation of all three rooms while Cal Fire, Southern California Gas and School District officials determined the source of the smell and rendered the situation safe.

SEE SIMILAR: COACHELLA: 700 students evac’d after second RivCo middle school gas leak in 5 days

SEE SIMILAR: INDIO: 22 sickened, 6 hospitalized, 1,900 evacuated after school haz-mat emergency

There were no reported injuries related to the Thursday, Oct. 12 incident, which happened at Jurupa Middle School on the 8700 block of Galena Street in Jurupa Valley.

Eighteen firefighters from five engine companies responded to the call just after 9:30 a.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman explained in an incident report. They were assisted by a paramedic squad.

When firefighters arrived at the middle school, students were already being evacuated from the affected rooms and surrounding buildings.

Fire officials confirmed the presence of the natural gas odor and isolated the odor to the two classrooms and a nearby bathroom. Fire officials requested Southern California Gas Company employees to respond to the location to assist in determining and securing the source.

At 10:30 a.m., about one hour after the incident was reported, Newman updated that Fire and Gas Company officials along with the School District’s maintenance supervisor had determined the source and “rendered the facility safe,” said Newman.

Evacuations were lifted a short time later and classes returned to normal.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.