Casper Fire-EMS Investigates Possible Gas Leak at Casper College

Nearby construction is being blamed for the strong natural gas-like odor that led to the Thursday morning evacuation of the health science building on the campus of Casper College.

The building was evacuated shortly after 10:30 a.m.

"When crews arrived, they found that excavation equipment struck something in the ground," Casper Fire-EMS spokesperson Justin Smith said. "It was already a contained incident - basically, they had no hazards. They did, however, monitor the area to make sure there was no natural gas or any other release that needed to be mitigated."

The college sent this alert through its Rave Alert system at 10:39 a.m.

"This is a Casper College alert. The health science building has been evacuated due to a smell of natural gas. Do not approach this building. Details to follow."

After a sweep of the building, fire officials declared the building safe for occupancy at around 11 a.m.

Anthony Pollreisz, Roger Grey and Kevin Koile contributed to his story.