Publc Safety Response to Gas Leak at St Clare School

At 8:57 am, O’Fallon Public Safety was dispatched to St Clare School, 214 W Third St. for a report of several students becoming ill during an all-school mass in the gym.  School officials quickly realized there was something wrong inside the school, and at the request of Public Safety, began evacuating the building.

O’Fallon Fire & Rescue quickly determined the cause of the incident to be a gas leak coming from a loose fitting on a stove in the cafeteria.  O'Fallon Fire & Rescue did not detect any levels of Carbon Monoxide while on scene.   Ameren Gas was notified and responded, shutting off gas to all the kitchen appliances.  O’Fallon-Shiloh EMS, O’Fallon Fire & Rescue and The O’Fallon Police Department coordinated efforts with St. Clare staff to triage students who were experiencing symptoms from the gas leak and set up reunification with families and students.   Several  EMS agencies assisted in transporting students from the scene to local hospitals.

In all, 25 students were transported to local hospitals: 17 by ambulance and 8 by their parents.  One adult sought treatment at a local hospital.  All experienced mild symptoms and have since been discharged from the hospital. 

We would like to thank the following agencies for assisting us during this incident.

Fairview Fire Dept

Scott Air Force Base Fire Dept

St Clair County Special Emergency Services

Medstar EMS

Abbott EMS

Millstadt EMS

Rural Med EMS

Mascoutah EMS

New Baden EMS

St Clair County EMA

Ameren Gas

We are very fortunate to have first responders throughout the area who respond at a moments notice when we need them. 

We would also like to commend the administration and staff at St Clare School for their professionalism and proficiency in handling an extremely stressful situation.

Kirk Brueggeman 

Public Safety Director / Chief of Police