Natural gas leak evacuates Kleefeld School

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This article was published 29/11/2019 (2028 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kleefeld School was evacuated Friday after nearby construction activity ruptured an underground natural gas line.

A contractor carrying out directional drilling in a ditch along Friesen Avenue nicked the buried pipe around 10:40 a.m., Bruce Owen, a Manitoba Hydro spokesperson, said.

Students and staff were whisked off campus to a designated community muster point, Bob Wiebe, communications manager for Hanover School Division, said.

Hanover Fire Chief Paul Wiebe said a number of homes in the vicinity were also evacuated for precautionary reasons.

“The wind was blowing it right over a heavy residential area.”

No injuries were reported, and Owen said the school was the only gas customer whose service was affected by the rupture.

Firefighters and RCMP deemed the K-8 school unsafe to re-enter, prompting HSD to cancel classes for the remainder of the day. 

Parents and guardians were directed to pick up Grades 3-7 students from the Kleefeld fire station, and students from all other grades at the community’s recreation hall.

Owen said Manitoba Hydro crews had to perform final checks on the school and scan for other buried utility cables before they could dig out and repair the damaged pipe.

HSD announced shortly before 3 p.m. the gas line repairs were complete. The school will reopen Monday. 

UPDATE – Nov. 29, 2019, 2:54 p.m. Last paragraph amended with update from HSD.