Bayfield Primary School was evacuated briefly Thursday morning after an employee struck a gas line, said Upper Pine Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans.

“The maintenance guy was driving a lawn mower, and the lawn mower drove over a gas meter,” he said.

The incident occurred at 7:36 a.m. at 110 E. South St.

The maintenance worker shut off the valve, and the Bayfield Marshal’s Office evacuated the school as a precaution, Evans said.

Upper Pine sampled the air for gas, but none was found, so school resumed as normal.

The gas meter supplied the maintenance building, so no functions in the school were disrupted, Evans said.

shane@durangoherald.com