Clearfield coach remains on leave after attempt to dry infield leads to environmental investigation

Clearfield coach remains on leave after attempt to dry infield leads to environmental investigation

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CLEARFIELD — A Clearfield High baseball coach remains on administrative leave after Davis County School District officials said he apparently lit “a petroleum product” on the school’s baseball field and lit it in attempt to dry out the field for a game last month.

The field has remained closed since the alleged incident on March 23, Davis County School District spokeswoman Shauna Lund said. Clearfield was slated to play Fremont that day and won the game 6-4, according to Deseret News Sports.

The Davis County Health Department received a complaint two days later when someone reported they smelled gasoline on the field, the Standard-Examiner reported on Monday. The school district said the health department is assisting in the cleanup.

Lund said the district does not yet know what the extent of the cleanup will be. An environmental cleanup company tested soil in different areas of the infield for the first time Monday, she added.

Results from those tests are expected by the end of this week.

The cost of the cleanup has not yet been determined. Lund said crews have to go layer by layer to see how deep the fuel went in the infield. If it the damage is severe enough, the district may look to an outside company to remediate the field, Lund continued.

All games scheduled for the field have been moved elsewhere until the infield is cleared. The coach, who was not identified, was placed on administrative leave and will remain on leave until the investigation ends, according to Lund.

“We value the safety of students and the community and will do everything we can to remediate the contamination,” she said in a statement.

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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