Students sickened as gas leak at Arroyo Grande High School prompts evacuation

Several students and staff members were sickened Thursday morning when a gas leak prompted a partial evacuation at Arroyo Grande High School.

The gas leak in Building 900 was reported to the Five Cities Fire Authority at 10:16 a.m., Fire Chief Scott Hallett said.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found seven students and staff members showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, Hallett said.

The conditions did not appear to be severe, and the patients were being evaluated by emergency responders, he said.

As of 11:58 a.m., four students and two staff members were transported for further medical evaluation “in an abundance of caution,” Lucia Mar Unified School District spokesperson Amy Jacobs said in a statement.

When the leak was discovered, “students and staff immediately evacuated several classrooms in the isolated area,” Jacobs said.

The source of the leak was identified and repaired by 11:58 a.m., she said.

“The Five Cities Fire Authority and the Gas Company have cleared the classroom area where the leak was found,” she said in a statement. “The area will not be used for the remainder of the day, and students will be in alternative classrooms.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 11:51 AM.