Gas Leak Forced Middle School Evacuation: Chatham Police

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Middle School was evacuated for an hour Wednesday morning after a gas leak on campus, Chatham Borough Capt. Brian Gibbons said.

Around 10:41 a.m., an excavator struck and broke a pipeline on school property, Gibbons said. Four minutes later, all students and staff were evacuated from the building.

Chatham Police, Chatham Fire, Chatham Emergency Squad and Chatham Middle School all responded to the scene. PSE&G repaired the leak, and the school was checked by the fire department before students were allowed back in.

Parents were notified, Gibbons said, and the students returned to their classes later Wednesday morning.

This is the second construction related incident in two days at Chatham Middle School. On Tuesday, a teenager was struck by backhoe while walking to school. He was uninjured but taken to the hospital as a precaution. The backhoe that struck the teen was not operated by the same company that operated the excavator involved in the gas leak.

• Read More: Teenager Struck By Backhoe in Chatham

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