Gas Leak Closes Streets

DAYTON - A propane gas leak at Dayton High School Thursday evening forced the cancellation of a home volleyball game and closed down parts of Second and Third Streets.

Rick Turner, the fire chief of Columbia County Fire District 3 in Dayton, said his crews were called to the high school about 5 p.m. The call was for a strong odor of propane in the high school gym, he said.

When his crews arrived, high school personnel had evacuated the gym. The fire department found remnants of a gas cloud and the strong smell that was reported.

The doors to the gym had been opened to air it out and the propane heaters, located in the basement under the gym, had been turned off, Turner said. All electricity had also been turned off to eliminate the possibility of electrical sources starting a fire.

Amerigas, the company that supplies the propane to the school, sent a crew to the school and it measured the density of gas inside.

While all of this was taking place, law enforcement blocked off areas of Second and Third streets around the school for safety. Also, neighbors adjacent to the school were asked to keep their cars parked in case the spark from an engine igniting would create an explosion, Turner said.

"We kept all the vehicles parked until we were confident there was no risk," he said. "We were making sure we kept the scene safe."

The Amerigas crew, firefighters and school maintenance staff decided the best course of action was to push fresh air into the school with fans through vents in the building, Turner said. The fresh air was pushed into the gym, lobby and the system until crews could no longer detect propane.

Crews left the scene about 7:30 p.m. when gas was no longer present. Technicians were on the scene Friday morning to find out what the cause of the leak was, Turner said. This was the first gas leak of this nature in Turner's memory.

Monday morning, Superintendent Doug Johnson said workers from Amerigas took the propane tanks from the school on Friday and the company is still investigating the cause.