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Five students at McRenyolds Middle School were hospitalized Wednesday morning after a reported gas leak prompted a school evacuation for more than an hour, leading to several students showing signs of heat-related illness, according to the Houston Fire Department.
Around 10:30 Wednesday morning, HFD responded to a call of a gas leak inside the middle school, east of downtown and just south of I-10. CenterPoint Energy responded as well, evacuating the school.
Dozens of students stood outside the school for more than an hour, according to Brent Taylor, a spokesperson from HFD. Five of them began to show symptoms of heat-related illness and were transported to Texas Children’s Hospital.
The children were not hospitalized for exposure to any gas leak but rather for heat-related illness.
In a statement, a spokesperson for CenterPoint said its crew “identified the location of the leak on customer-owned equipment and safely shut off gas service. The Fire Department lifted the evacuation around 12 pm and the facility’s maintenance team is onsite completing repairs. We appreciate the quick action of first responders and the cooperation of students, faculty and staff as we worked to secure the area and shut off gas service.”
A spokesperson for Houston ISD was not immediately available.