Unidentified Gas Smell Leads to Old Mill Evacuation

Students and staff of Old Mill were evacuated from the complex Friday morning after firefighters received reports of an unidentified gas odor.

The entire student body from the high school and both middle schools were escorted by faculty and staff as Anne Arundel County firefighters used gas meters to determine the nature of the gas. 

The devices read the "explosive levels" of the gas and measure percentages of combustibility, said fire department spokesman Chief Michael Cox. The odor was reported to exist around the exterior of the building and not within the walls of the school, he said. 

After surveying the area and working with Baltimore Gas and Electric personnel, responders determined that the odor disappeared, Cox said. 

Around 10:40 a.m., students and staff were given the green light to re-enter the building after the gas meters revealed no significant readings of harmful gas.