Evacuation, Second Closure Follow Gas Leak at Maine Elementary School

Narragansett Elementary School will remain closed for a second day on Wednesday as officials continue working to locate the source of a persistent gas leak that forced an evacuation earlier in the week.

According to WGME 13, Superintendent Heather Perry says the issue began Monday when a staff member noticed the smell of gas inside the building and immediately activated the fire alarm. Students and staff quickly evacuated, and children were escorted to the church across the street, where they waited safely for their parents to pick them up.

The school was closed again on Tuesday to give inspectors additional time to determine exactly where the odor originated. Perry told WGME the search is more complicated than usual because Narragansett’s heating setup is unlike most traditional school buildings.

“Narragansett Elementary School has about 24 to 28 modular classrooms that were expanded, and each one of those modulars has its own heating system,” Perry explained. Because of that, each individual unit must be checked separately, which slows down the investigation.

District officials are also reviewing whether this leak could be connected to a similar incident reported at Narragansett in November. WGME reported that crews are comparing the circumstances of both events in hopes of determining whether they share a root cause.

The superintendent says the goal is to reopen the school on Thursday. However, if inspections are not completed or if additional safety concerns arise, the district is prepared to shift students temporarily to remote learning until the building is deemed safe.