Gas leak detected near Robert Roads Elementary, leading to evacuations, 2 students hospitalized

HOCKLEY, Texas (KTRK) -- An elementary school in northwest Harris County was evacuated Friday afternoon after a nearby gas leak was reported, according to officials.

The school district urged all parents to refrain from coming to the school and instead, pick up their students at Daikin Stadium nearby.

According to officials at the scene, the odor originated from a nearby environmental source and was mercaptan, a foul-smelling but harmless sulfur compound.

ABC13's Brianna Willis was on the scene and spoke with Sarah Marcus, who is the Waller ISD communications director. Marcus said the district is grateful for the swift response by law enforcement to help clear the school.

Officials said students at Roberts Road Elementary were removed from the school and at least two were taken to the hospital for respiratory complaints, but were stable and released.

Hazmat and Spring Cypress Fire Department identified the leak's source as an environmental services company on Premium Drive in Hockley that specializes in railcar cleaning.

The release reportedly occurred during railcar cleaning.

Officials said there is no active threat to the area at this time.

On Friday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo shared the following statement regarding the school's incident.

"This morning, around 650 students at Roberts Road Elementary School were evacuated after a gas leak at nearby environmental company VLS Environmental Solutions. The company was cleaning out a railcar containing methyl mercaptan, which is used as an odorant in natural gas to give it the 'rotten egg' smell, when it began leaking out during the cleaning process. Upon detection, VLS Environmental Solutions stopped the cleaning process, which stopped the release, and then the Fire Marshal's Office began venting the school. Two students were transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and they are currently in stable condition pending release. At this time, the incident has been cleared and the school is safe to reopen. Harris County HazMat and Pollution Control teams remain onsite to monitor the air, and the Fire Marshal's Office is starting an investigation to determine what caused the leak so we can prevent a similar situation in the future. Thank you to Roberts Road Elementary for everything they did to quickly evacuate students, and thank you to all of our partners who helped mitigate this threat as quickly as possible."

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