Gas leak at Merced High forces brief evacuation

A gas leak Tuesday morning at Merced High School prompted officials to remove students from classrooms as a precaution.

The leak was reported about 10:35 a.m.

A maintenance crew working at the campus damaged a gas line, said Ralph Calderon, assistant superintendent of human resources at the Merced Union High School District.

A PG&E crew shut down the line and was working on repairs Tuesday afternoon.

“We had them examine everything to make sure it was OK for students and to make sure we’d be able to serve lunch,” Calderon said. “Things like this do happen sometimes and we have plans in place for when they do.”

Calderon said parents were alerted quickly and the plans in place worked effectively.

A text message sent to parents from the school said students were taken to the track area of campus. A later message said students returned to school at 11:24 a.m.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Gas leak at Merced High forces brief evacuation."