West Point Junior High evacuation lifted after 'strange odor' was reported


6 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WEST POINT, Davis County — One student was taken to a hospital and an entire middle school was evacuated for a little more than an hour as a precaution after a "strange smell" was detected Thursday afternoon, school district officials said.

A portion of West Point Junior High, 2775 W. 550 North, was evacuated shortly after noon when students reported a "strange smell" coming from the school's gymnasium, Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams said.

Arriving fire crews decided to evacuate the entire school of about 1,300 students as a precaution.

"We're not necessarily sure what the smell was. We thought it might be a faulty fan or a fan belt or a motor," Williams said. "(North Davis Fire District officials) thought it might have been carbon monoxide."

Some students complained about feeling nauseous and one student was transported to a hospital as a precaution, he added.

Crews checked for levels of carbon monoxide in the gym and with students, but were unable to find anything, he added. After an hour of searching, crews allowed students back into the gym.

"We're not sure at this point really anything on what caused the smell," Williams said.

Parents were notified about the evacuations. Williams said school classes resumed once crews determined there were no signs of carbon monoxide.

Contributing: Meghan Thackrey, KSL TV

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast