Gas main leak forced evacuation of Winnipeg school

A north Winnipeg school was evacuated after a gas line was ruptured on Wednesday, prompting police and emergency crews to spend hours at the scene.

A construction crew ruptured the eight-inch gas line just before 11 a.m. at the corner of McPhillips Street and Redwood Avenue.

About 400 students were removed from Lord Nelson Elementary School and some streets were closed in the area.

"If the gas were to build up in the school, it would be a very dangerous situation, so it's a precautionary measure," fire platoon chief Brian Somers told reporters.

A spokesperson for Winnipeg School Division No. 1 said the students were sent to nearby Sisler High School, where parents picked them up and took them home.

Classes were cancelled for the rest of Wednesday, but the school division says the school will reopen on Thursday.

Manitoba Hydro has a crew working to repair the rupture, which happened when a construction crew hit the line.

Hydro spokesman Glenn Schnieder said few details are available right now but an eight-inch pipe was cracked.