Gas leak prompts evacuation at west El Paso middle school
EL PASO, Texas -- A gas leak near a west side middle school Thursday prompted the El Paso Independent School District to evacuate summer school students by bus to a nearby high school.
The evacuations happened at Morehead Middle School at 5625 Confetti Drive, which is off of N. Mesa Street near S. Mesa Hills Drive.
EPISD said in an online statement posted around 10:15 a.m. that "all students have been transported to Coronado (High School) and are safe."
The district said summer-school classes for the Moorehead students would continue at Coronado, lunch would still be served and release time for the day would be at noon.
Officials provided the following dismissal information for parents:
- Parents who pick up their children are asked to do so at Coronado.
- Students who ride the bus to school will be transported from Coronado to their bus stops.
- Students who walk home will be bused back to Morehead at the end of the day.
- Any parent who wishes to sign out their child from school may do so at Coronado.
A spokesperson for Texas Gas said a third-party contractor was working in the area and struck and damaged the utility company's gas line while digging.
"Our crews will be on site for a while making repairs to the damage portion of the line," the spokesperson said.
