Saturday, June 11, 2016

Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale was evacuated after a chemical spill in a classroom


Crews respond to chemical spill in Quaker Valley HS classroom

  By Bobby Cherry | Thursday, June 9, 2016, 1:21 p.m.



Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale was evacuated at about 12:45 Thursday afternoon after a chemical spill in a classroom, district spokeswoman Angela Yingling said.

Formaldehyde and two forms of xylene mixed in a third-floor science lab, Leetsdale fire Chief Ernie Logan said. Nobody was injured.

No students were in the building at the time. Their last day of class was June 7. But an unknown number of district staff members and some community members were inside.

The spill was contained, Logan said.

He said the mixture can be an inhalation hazard, which prompted the evacuation.

Logan said he expected crews to be on scene through mid-afternoon.

Fire crews from Leetsdale and Sewickley went to the scene.

Beaver Street from Valley Lane to Oak Drive was closed during the incident, and Port Authority buses were detoured using Route 65.