Gas Leak Near Belize Elementary Forces Evacuation and Early Dismissal

There was a tense moment late this morning for students and teachers at Belize Elementary School on Princess Margaret Drive in Belize City after a butane cylinder began leaking at a nearby food kiosk.  The incident occurred just after eleven o’clock at Jasmine’s Place, a burger stand located directly along the school’s perimeter fence. Reports are that an eighty-pound butane cylinder developed a leak, causing a strong gas odor to spread across sections of the compound.  Out of an abundance of caution, the school’s administration immediately activated safety procedures and evacuated classrooms while authorities were contacted. The situation prompted an early dismissal for the day as staff worked to ensure students left the compound safely.  School principal Mahib Sharp told Love News that the decision was made quickly once the smell was detected and the source identified.

Mahib Sharp, Principal, Belize Elementary and High School: “At about 11:30 I was alerted by the secretary and the security that there was a strong butane smell coming into the compound. I came outside with a couple other teachers who had also smelled the butane and we went in that direction which is right by where Jasmine’s is and we saw it was a really bad leak. It was like all over. And so we evacuated our kids within 15 minutes. We put our plan in place. We have an emergency plan. We sent out an email, a text message to parents and our teachers also contacted our parents on their classroom chats. And the parents responded very quickly. So in about 15, 20 minutes, we got most of our kids off the compound. We took some to Channel Five’s parking lot so that they could be dismissed from that area. And we also called the fire department because they had not been called. So the smell was really, really, really strong. Yes, some of them started feeling ill, headache, some felt sick. But I think because we moved so quickly, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

No injuries were reported, and emergency personnel responded to secure the cylinder and ventilate the area. Parents were notified to pick up their children as the school prioritized safety following the scare.