Plamondon homes and schools evacuated after gas leak detected

Northern Lights Public Schools officials are saying that students and staff are returning to classes after a gas leak forced more than 300 students, staff and residents of the hamlet of Plamondon to seek shelter at an evacuation centre this morning.

Shortly before classes were to begin, students from the Ecole Plamondon public school and the neighbouring Ecole Beausejour francophone district school were quickly taken out of the building - and others who were still arriving by school bus were diverted to Plamondon's Festival Centre after reports of a natural gas leak were reported.
Police, fire, ambulance and utility crews were on the scene quickly after reports of a strong smell of natural gas were received. At least a dozen homes along the Main Street of Plamondon were also evacuated.
The residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes at the same time students went back to their schools.
In total, students and residents were displaced for about an hour.
"A big thank you to the fire departments and emergency services for their cooperation and quick response," said NLPS spokesperson Nicole Garner, adding that school officials also conducted an efficient evacuation of the building. "The evacuation went well. It helped that most kids were on the bus when we got the call, so we were able to divert the buses before students even arrived."
The schools hold regular fire drills so students and staff can safely escape the building in the case of emergencies. In this instance, Garner said the exit had one more dynamic to it.
"The difference between this and a fire drill is that the students needed to be moved further away from the school as a precaution."
The festival centre is about two blocks away from the schools.

Lac La Biche County officials say that gas service has been disrupted to some residents in Plamondon.
"Residences along Highway 858 from Double L Confectionery to 101 Avenue do not have natural gas service at this time," said Lac La Biche County communications coordinator Alex Fuller. "We would like to thank residents for their patience and cooperation as we work to resolve this situation."