Gas odor closes Fisher’s Peak Elementary for most of the week

A gas odor at Fisher’s Peak Elementary kept the Trinidad campus closed most of the week, leaving students with only two full days of class during the week that began May 11 and forcing families to juggle child care while the building was checked for safety.

Trinidad School District #1 said the smell had been reported the previous day, and maintenance crews along with relevant authorities were still working to identify the source. The district said the shutdown was ordered out of an abundance of caution, with student and staff safety at the center of the decision. By May 18, the district said first responders had recommended canceling the remainder of the school day while the odor was investigated and addressed.

The district said all students were safely released to parents or guardians and that no injuries were reported. For families in Trinidad and across Las Animas County, the disruption reached far beyond one building. A closure like this can mean missed work shifts, changed transportation plans and a sudden loss of classroom time, especially when the school serves younger children who depend on steady routines.

Fisher’s Peak Elementary is located at 900 Moore’s Canyon Road in Trinidad and serves 370 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to Colorado SchoolView. The campus includes art, physical education, music, library sciences, a STEM lab and computer education, so the closure interrupted special subjects as well as core instruction. The timing also mattered: Trinidad School District’s 2025-2026 calendar lists May 21 as the last day of school, leaving little room to make up lost time.

The school district also participates in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Program, which means a shutdown can affect more than academics for children who rely on school meals. Trinidad School District #1 has already used emergency closure notices this year, including a districtwide shutdown on Jan. 26, underscoring how quickly the district moves when safety is in question.

For now, the key question for parents is not just when classes resume, but whether the source of the odor has been fully found and addressed before students return to the building.