A downtown private boarding school was temporarily evacuated due to a gas leak late Tuesday night.
Emergency crews were called to the London International Academy at 185 Horton St. just after 11 p.m. in relation to the leak.
"We did get dangerous [gas] levels on our meters when we arrived, so we evacuated the building," said Platoon Chief Shawn Fitzgerald. "We searched the building to make sure everyone was out and then we located the source of the leak."
According to Fitzgerald, the leak was caused by a malfunctioning boiler valve within the school's heating system. Enbridge Gas crews cut gas to the building. It will remain turned off until repairs to correct the problem can be made on Wednesday.
Roughly 75 students were forced out while firefighters worked to ventilate the building, which took about two hours.
"It was cold out and these evacuees came out in their pyjamas. They needed somewhere to shelter and Shelby's Food Express opened up their doors," said Fitzgerald. "They allowed the students to just sit inside and they took care of them while the situation was stabilized. We appreciate the assistance of the owners of Shelby's.
