Natural gas leak forces Berkley High School into "shelter in place" mode
A natural gas leak is causing disruptions in the area of Berkley High School and Cana Lutheran Church in the community of Berkley, Michigan.
Berkley Department of Public Safety crews and vehicles are handling road blocks in the area while Consumers Energy crews handle repairs. The repairs might continue into overnight, according to a notice issued Wednesday afternoon by the city. After repairs are completed, restoration work will begin.
There were no evacuations, although Berkley High School dismissed students early.
What happened?
The break happened during scheduled construction work in the Oakland County community.
School officials said on the high school's social media accounts that a construction crew was connecting The Den building plumbing to city infrastructure near the intersection of Catalpa Drive and Henley when the break happened Wednesday morning.
High school response
Berkley High School initially responded with a "shelter in place" mode, keeping students inside. Students who needed to leave for other classes or appointments could do so through the office. The outside air handling units were turned off to prevent gas from getting into the school building.
Because of the disruption from the repair work, city officials said, Berkley High School officials decided to cancel Wednesday afternoon classes and students were dismissed for the day at 12:45 p.m.
Road closings
In the meantime, there are some road closures. Those notices as of Wednesday afternoon are as follows:
- Catalpa is closed from Coolidge to Hamilton.
- Henley is closed from Sunnyknoll to Dorothea.
"Please avoid the area until further notice," the public safety department said.
