NORTHAMPTON — Students were evacuated from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School Monday morning after a gas leak on Dana Street.
Northampton Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Vanasse said construction workers hit a gas line around 7:45 a.m. The school and homes on Dana Street were evacuated as a precaution.
Vanasse said firefighters secured the area and Columbia Gas was called to the scene. Locust Street (Route 9) was blocked off between Hatfield and Elm streets for about an hour.
Vanasse said houses in close proximity to the leak were metered before the area was cleared.
Superintendent Kevin Farr said faculty led 350 students off the campus, walking from the rear of the property to Northampton High School just down the street.
Farr said students would have been evacuated to the Department of Public Works building, but because of the location of the leak, students had to be evacuated to the neighboring high school.
Smith Vocational officials canceled school for the day and students were picked up by parents and buses.
Farr said the incident disrupted Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing, but students will be able to make up the tests later this week.
Farr said he will talk with school officials about how the evacuation plan was executed. He said he plans to reach out to the police and fire departments to see what could be improved with the plan and how the school can be better prepared in the future.
Staff writer Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.