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Hoffman Estates school evacuated after gas leak

Hoffman Estates' Armstrong Elementary was shut down and evacuated Wednesday morning after work crews severed a gas line outside of the building.

The students were bused to Hoffman Estates High School, and police and fire officials said two children who'd complained of dizziness were taken to St. Alexius Medical Center for observation.

A teacher was also taken to the hospital after falling and injuring her leg during the evacuation.

Hoffman Estates Fire Chief Robert Gorvett said none of the injuries was life-threatening.

The school is to reopen Thursday.

The accident occurred while crews were replacing the school's buried computer lines with new fiber-optic cable, Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh said.

Russo added that crews also evacuated two nearby homes.

Armstrong parents were asked to pick up their children at Hoffman Estates High, or wait until dismissal time for students to be bused home.

Gorvett lauded the school's emergency plan.

"The plan that the school had made the evacuation come off like clockwork," he said.

Crews installing fiber-optic cable beneath Hoffman Estates' Armstrong School ruptured a gas line and prompted a school evacuation. George LeClaire | Staff Photographer
Armstrong Elementary parents like Liz Strik, left, carrying daughter Alexis, 3, pick up their children Wednesday from Hoffman Estates High, to which they were moved after a gas leak at Armstrong. Strik's son Gideon is at right, with his aunt Stephanie Strik. George LeClaire | Staff Photographer
Liz Strik, left, carrying her daughter Alexis, 3, picks up her son Gideon, a kindergartner at Armstrong School who was evacuated to Hoffman Estates High after a gas leak. With them is Gideon's aunt, Stephanie Strik. George LeClaire | Staff Photographer