BUTLER TWP — The Butler Intermediate High School was evacuated for about one hour Wednesday morning because of a gas leak.

A teacher or staff arriving at school in the morning turned on the gas to one of the chemistry labs in the school, not realizing that one of the valves had been left in an “on” position, said Superintendent Brian White.

Students and staff were escorted out of the building and were taken to the senior high school stadium across the street, while maintenance workers investigated and discovered the cause of the leak.

After turning off the open valve and venting the building to get rid of the smell of gas, the students were able to return around 9:30 a.m., White said.

Emily Brittain Elementary School also was evacuated Wednesday as a precaution around noon after someone detected a smell of smoke.

The Butler City Fire Department investigated and determined that there was no fire. Students were allowed to return to class after about 20 minutes.