Gasoline odour closes school for two days on St Thomas
by Norman 'Gus' Thomas
Caribbean Net News Senior Correspondent
E-mail: rc@caribbeannetnews.com
Monday, March 7, 2005
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, USVI: As they endeavoured
to settle down to school work following several disruptions last year,
students and teachers at the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School in ST Thomas,
US Virgin Islands, had their classes disrupted for the second straight day due
to a chemical odour which affected the school.
Cancryn officials, speaking with
Caribbean Net News via the telephone, revealed that the odours came from
two commercial sources but quickly added that neither were a threat to staff
and students.
According to one teacher, students lost
valuable class time last Wednesday when the Virgin Islands Fire Department
came to investigate the source of the "smell of gasoline".
However, classes were resumed a short time
after it was discovered that the odour resulted from an inspection conducted
at a gas station close to the school.
Students got another unscheduled holiday on
Thursday when Fire Department and Environmental Protection Agency officials
carried out a full inspection, explained Fire Chief Glenn Francis.
This time the odour came from a business on
the southwest side of the campus where a man was carrying out repairs to his
truck.
"Somebody was repairing their truck at the
southwestern side of the school, we found that the wind was blowing in the
direction of the school,” the Fire Chief said.
Fire and health officials told Caribbean Net News that the fumes did
not present a health or any other hazard, and brushed aside talk of a propane
leak.
"We gave them the all clear to return to the
school after a full inspection," said Francis.
Education officials have been considering
relocating the school which is in the heart of commercial development and
nearby a busy highway.
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