Magruder High School Evacuated Due to Gas Odor Thursday

Seven students and two staff were taken to the hospital for checkups Thursday following reports of a gas odord at Magruder High School.

The building was evacuated shortly after 2 p.m., after a gassy stench was detected on the second floor and students and teachers reported feeling sick, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Beth Anne Nesselt said.

Nesselt said Hazmat units did find any toxic or potentially hazardous conditions at the school.

Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said an initial determination was that the odor came from a sewer pipe in one of the classrooms. Tofig said the pipe was capped and the building was cleared for re-entry at around 3:30 p.m.

That classroom will be closed on Friday, Tofig said.

The high school’s evacuation coincided with dismissal, Tofig said.

A field hockey game at the school went forward as planned, though an after-school class was canceled, Tofig said.