CHESAPEAKE, Va. – A cooking appliance caused a small natural gas leak that sickened several staff members at Southwestern Elementary on Tuesday morning.
Firefighters from the Chesapeake Fire Department responded to the school at 7:52 a.m. after the odor of natural gas was detected in the cafeteria.
The odor was traced to a small leak coming from a cooking appliance. The leak was secured and maintenance personnel arrived to make repairs.
During the incident, students and staff were moved from the cafeteria to other unaffected portions of the school until the leak was located and secured.
Six staff members were evaluated by medics after they reported not feeling well. All but one of the staff members refused transport to the hospital.
There were no other reports of illness or injuries.
