Parkside Centennial Elementary parents got a scare Wednesday morning when they arrived to drop their kids off for 8:30 a.m. class and saw emergency vehicles at the school.
Kelly C., a grandmother of a young boy who attends the school, waited anxiously in her car outside the elementary with her infant granddaughter situated in a the back seat.
“When I came to drop him off I saw firetrucks and am just too scared to leave,” the guardian said.
Shortly after 8:00 a.m., Parkside Centennial Elementary School teachers smelled a worrisome odour they suspected was a result of gas leakage, one parent told the Aldergrove Star.
“They did not feel safe,” said the parent, who wishes to remain unnamed.
Those inside the elementary were immediately evacuated onto the school field, adjacent to 32 Avenue.
Parents who’d come to drop off their kids for school were immediately informed, some decided to take their kids home instead, parent Valorie York said.
“The kids are there with their teachers, which is the best thing,” one mother said, looking at the group of hundreds out in the field.
Township firefighters arrived on scene by 8:15 a.m., along with district maintenance officials.
Fortis BC was also called to assess gas levels of the building, its employees informing school officials at 9:10 a.m. it was safe to return inside.
“It was a leaky hot water tank on the roof of the building which was not deemed a risk,” the School District released in an official statement Wednesday morning.
“At no point were staff or students in danger,” the press release said, commending the actions of staff, students and parents.
