Students were evacuated twice from a Berthoud middle school Monday morning after people noted the scent of gas and complained of headaches and nausea, but classes resumed by noon.
Turner Middle School officials first called authorities to report the smell around 8:30 a.m., according to Deb Graves, spokeswoman for the Berthoud Fire Department.
Students were allowed to return to their classrooms when the fire department was unable to detect the presence of gas or where it may have come from, she said.
The school, which has 436 students, was evacuated again around 9 a.m. when a few students and a faculty member mentioned having headaches, said Melissa Adams with the Thompson School District.
Graves said 63 students and two faculty members were screened by medical personnel on site for their symptoms, but none was sent to the hospital.
“They seem to be doing well with the fresh air,” Graves said.
Students waited on the football field while the Loveland Fire Department’s hazardous materials team confirmed the property was safe to resume classes.
Adams speculated the gas smell came from an off-site construction project and circulated through the air ducts.
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
