Classes at the Prairie Home R-V School District are returning to normal Wednesday morning after students had to leave the building Tuesday, Oct. 21 because of a possible natural gas leak.

Prairie Home Supt Jordan Hoecker informed district patrons in a letter that students were evacuated from the main building after a district employee detected the smell of natural gas near the furnaces in the high school wing. Hoecker says district staff initiated an evacuation of the building and shut off gas lines to the furnaces. Students were escorted to the playground area until buses were moved to provide shelter from the wind in the bus barn. They were eventually taken to a nearby church until the school was cleared for re-entry.

The Prairie Home Rural Fire Protection District and Ameren checked the building and found a small leak in one of the furnace’s control units, resulting in a small leak. Hoecker explained that the amount detected did not exceed 50 parts per million, far below the lower explosive limit for natural gas. The furnace remains shut off, and a replacement part has been ordered to repair the unit later this week. Hoecker commended the fire district and Cooper County Sheriff’s Office for their response, district staff for quickly reporting the leak and keeping students calm, organized and safe, and the Prairie Home United Methodist Church for allowing use of their nearby hall to house students during the evacuation.