Yesterday afternoon at 1:33 PM, the East Brandywine Fire Company was dispatched to North Brandywine Middle School on Reeceville Road for a reported odor of natural gas inside the building.
Shortly after the initial dispatch, responding crews were advised that a manual fire alarm pull station had also been activated inside the school.
Officers from the Coatesville Area School District Police Department arrived on scene and reported that contractors working on the new building under construction in front of the school had struck a **2-inch natural gas main**, resulting in an active gas leak.
**SCHOOL EVACUATION**
As a precaution, North Brandywine Middle School was evacuated, with students and staff relocated to the field in front of Reeceville Elementary School.
From that location, students were able to board their school buses or be picked up by their parents and sent home.
**SIMULTANEOUS EMERGENCY RESPONSES**
Shortly after the initial dispatch to North Brandywine, East Brandywine Fire Company units were also dispatched to assist the Thorndale Fire Company with a reported house fire in Caln Township.
Squad 38 arrived at the Caln Township incident and quickly brought the situation under control, allowing the remaining responding companies to be recalled.
Since the Wagontown Fire Company had already been responding to that assignment, they were redirected to North Brandywine Middle School to assist East Brandywine crews with the gas leak.
**ADDITIONAL ODOR REPORTED AT REECEVILLE ELEMENTARY**
While firefighters were operating at North Brandywine Middle School, an additional report was received of a possible gas odor inside nearby Reeceville Elementary School.
Crews from the Wagontown Fire Company responded to Reeceville Elementary and conducted a thorough investigation of the building.
After checking the entire building and finding no issues, Wagontown crews cleared that location and returned to North Brandywine to continue assisting with the original incident.
**GAS LEAK SECURED AND BUILDING VENTILATED**
At approximately **2:17 PM**, PECO confirmed that the natural gas supply had been shut off at a valve near the roadway. Firefighters subsequently confirmed that the active gas leak had stopped.
Despite the gas being shut off, a strong odor of natural gas remained inside North Brandywine Middle School.
Firefighters placed multiple ventilation fans into service and opened exterior doors to help remove the remaining gas odor from the building.
Crews continued ventilation operations until the odor had dissipated and the building was determined to be safe.
Once conditions were confirmed safe, school staff were permitted to reenter the building. Fire crews cleared the scene a short time later.
**East Brandywine Fire Company would like to thank the Wagontown Fire Company, Coatesville Area School District Police Department, PECO, and school district personnel for their assistance and coordination throughout this incident.**
Incidents like this demonstrate the importance of cooperation between emergency responders, utility providers, and school officials to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the surrounding community. |
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