On Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, a St. Petersburg, Florida church was evacuated after people became sick during service.  Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from the St. John Vianney Catholic Church located in St. Pete Beach at approximately 10:30 am.  Eight people were transferred from the service to a local hospital where they were treated for symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and dizziness. 

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Hazmat crews arrived on the scene to investigate the cause of the mysterious illness.  By late afternoon, it was suspected that a sewer line had backed up causing low levels of methane gas to permeate through the building, though tests are still inconclusive.

The church service, led by Father John Blum, was continued in the church’s Parish Hall.  By Sunday evening, all had been released from the hospital.  No serious injuries were reported and testing is still underway to determine the exact cause of the illness.

TARNTUM, Pa. -- Hazmat crews were called to Tarentum after 44 people were evacuated from their homes on the 300 block of West Sixth Street.
Homeowners waited for hours after neighbors reported they smelled gas in the area, but were allowed back in their homes around 9:45 p.m. when crews deemed the situation safe.
Firefighters used gas detection meters to track down where they thought the leak started.
"It's in the sewer system. Once it's in the sewage system it will get in everyone's house, and if your traps aren't filled with water, that odor is going to come up through your traps and fill your house up," said Mike Remper, assistant fire chief.
Allegheny County Hazmat crews were called to the scene to shut off valves to stop any potential leak.

A tube station was evacuated yesterday afternoon after it was feared people could be exposed to harmful gases.

Tooting Broadway station was closed at about 1pm yesterday after staff smelt gas in the station concourse.

London Fire Brigade launched a major operation to deal with the incident, with 14 specialist units dispatched to the scene, including officers in chemical suits.

Firefighters were relieved to find the smell of gas was from underground sewers, after a manhole cover inside the station had become dislodged.

A firefighter that attended the incident said the station was closed for about an hour-and-a-half and major disruption was caused to traffic in the area.

Pavements around the station and some lanes of traffic were closed to give London Fire Brigade access to the scene.

The firefighter said: "Thankfully there was no risk to the public, just a bad smell."

He added: "But in these situation we cannot take any chances which is why we took the action we did."

Were you caught up in the incident? Contact the newsdesk on 0208 330 9541 or email weekend@london.newsquest.co.uk