SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Collins Bus was evacuated Friday afternoon after an employee reported he smelled propane gas in the one of the company’s assembly plants.

South Hutchinson fire responded to the plant around 12:55 p.m. and, upon investigation, it was determined that a compressed natural gas fuel cell that is used on some of Collins buses was leaking. The plant was evacuated and the bus was carefully lowered off of its lift and moved outside where the tank was emptied. According to Fire Chief Mike Patterson, it’s not known if the tank was overfilled, or if the hot weather may have burst a seal in the tank that caused the leak.

Workers were allowed back in the plant around 2:30 p.m.