Reports of a strong smell of gas and kids feeling sick prompted the elementary to send students home early Friday. Additional inspections were done in the afternoon.
ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — Ireland Elementary dismissed students at noon Friday after students and staff reported the smell of gas this week.
Cars lined up in front of the school as parents came to pick up their kids. One mom, Alexis Acosta told us she received a text from her child’s teacher.
“I got a message from her teacher saying students are getting let go at 12, and then I got on Facebook and I saw that people were sharing from the news that they’re getting let out, so I was assuming it was from the gas leak from yesterday,” said Acosta. “I mean they haven’t really said anything else other than that.”
Acosta said yesterday parents got notice that students were evacuated because of a possible gas leak.
“I think it was at the end of the day that it happened, so they just kind of let them go outside there like a little drill I guess,” said Acosta.
Odessa Fire Rescue and Atmos Energy inspected the school and didn’t find any problems with the school’s heating and ventilation systems. They also responded to other calls in Odessa and didn’t find any hazardous leaks.
Atmos released a statement saying in part, “we believe the source of our odor the past two days is excess mercaptan.”
Mercaptan is what gives gas that putrid smell.
The statement from Atmos went on to say, “if too much Mercaptan is inadvertently added to the system it causes a higher than normal concentration of the odor that is associated with a gas leak.”
According to ECISD, since reports of this smell began, some students have gotten ill, but the reason is still unknown.
As of now, the school is closed and the district will be continuing to conduct more tests and inspections. School is expected to be back in session this coming Monday.
