Students and staff were dismissed Tuesday from Park Avenue Elementary School in Auburn after staff reported smelling gas. An investigation identified an empty propane tank as the source of the smell. Vanessa Paolella/Sun Journal

AUBURN — All students and staff at Park Avenue Elementary School were dismissed Tuesday morning after a smell of gas was detected in the building.

According to Auburn Fire Chief Robert Chase, investigations by emergency responders and gas companies found no leaks, and the school was determined to be safe.

The smell was likely due to an empty propane tank, which was refilled Tuesday morning, he said. When propane tanks are low, the reduced pressure causes the chemical which gives propane its distinct smell to evaporate and emit a stronger smell of gas, he said.

At 9:17 a.m., emergency responders in Auburn received a call from the school about the smell. All units from the Auburn Fire Department responded to the school, in addition to Auburn police.

Students and staff were being directed to leave the building as soon as the smell was identified, according to Chase.

“It was a calm, orderly evacuation to buses,” he said, praising the Park Avenue students and staff.

Hand-held detectors found no significant traces of gas in the school. Pressure tests conducted by Dead River Co. and Unitil, which provide propane and natural gas to Park Avenue, respectively, found no leaks, Chase added.

The last fire unit left the school after 11 a.m.

Students were bused to the gym at Fairview Elementary School, where parents and guardians were asked to pick them up. Parent and guardian identification was required.

Superintendent Cornelia Brown said she left Fairview around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. At that time, there weren’t a lot of students left to be picked up, she said.

Students were given snacks and lunch, and the Park Avenue music teacher, Matt Konrad, had them singing songs while they waited, she said.

“They made the best of it that they could,” she said, noting that the school’s first concern is always student safety.

Park Avenue students will return to school Wednesday she said. A letter will be sent to parents Tuesday night regarding the incident.