It’s the gas leak that wasn’t at a D.C. elementary school.
For the second time in a week, students were evacuated from Langdon Elementary School for what they thought was a gas leak Tuesday afternoon, when the smell of natural gas filled the air in one section of the school. They then found the culprit was actually a poorly running HVAC unit.
“We have been able to verify that unit one at Langdon Elementary School was suffering from improper combustion,” said Keith Anderson, the director of D.C. Public Schools’ Department of General Services.
“To the average person walking into that building, they smell gas. That’s what it smells
like. Improper combustion smells very similar to natural gas. It smells just the same, but it’s not.”
The smell was noticed in the lobby, principal’s suite, parent-teacher office and one early learning classroom. The odor caused the school to evacuate the building and move to a building across the street until parents picked up their children.
Anderson said it is important that parents understand their children were not at risk.
“When Washington Gas, the Department of General Services and our contractor entered the building with our natural gas detection devices, at no time within the building envelope were we able to detect increased levels or high levels, or any levels, of natural gas and carbon monoxide,”
he said. “I want parents to know at no time did we find that in the air in the effected areas.”
During their search of the building, they did find pinhole leaks in the lines outside, but he said those were not part of the problem and have since been repaired.
The problem HVAC unit will be replaced over the winter holiday.
