Nearly 50 People Treated for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Gas Detected at Mormon Church

After a family reported having headaches when they got home, the fire department was called to check the building

A Utah church was the scene of a carbon monoxide poisoning incident over the weekend, which resulted in nearly 50 people being treated, officials say.

According to a news release by the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, emergency responders received two medical calls from the Monroe East chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints before the gas was detected on Sunday.

The first call concerned a 4-year-old girl having breathing problems, but as she had been ill earlier that that week, it was believed she was experiencing "symptoms from the earlier illness," officials said.

An hour later, emergency crews were summoned back to the same church building when an adult male who "thought he was having low blood sugar complications" also began feeling ill and sought treatment on his own.

However, after another family reported having headaches when they got home, the Monroe City fire department was called to check the building for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. After arriving at the scene, officials discovered "higher levels of carbon monoxide" and the building was evacuated.

Related: Family Says They Experienced Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Rental Cabin During Thanksgiving Trip: ‘It Was Scary'

The sheriff’s office added that more individuals reported being ill later that evening and sought treatment at Sevier Valley Hospital.”

Church officials have said that 54 people reported carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms, according to various media outlets, including The Salt Lake Tribune, Fox News and NBC News. Of those individuals, 49 were treated and 22 people were sent to local hospitals.

Additional details about their current conditions are not immediately known.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“This required 10 ambulance transports to get everyone to a hospital that had a hyperbaric chamber that could treat the patients,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Sevier County Ems did not have enough ambulances or personnel for this many transports so other agencies were contacted for assistance.”

PEOPLE reached out to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for additional comment.

Related: Woman Donates Dozens of CO Detectors After 5 Family Members Die of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Clint Wirick, a church member, told Fox affiliate KSTU that he called dispatchers after noticing a growing number of attendees were feeling ill.

“I had a friend who just lost his best friend from carbon monoxide,” Wirick told the outlet.  “That was in the back of my head: just make the phone call.”

Related: Wash. College Student Dead, 3 Others Injured After Suspected Carbon Monoxide Leak at Campus Apartment

Church officials believe a malfunction involving the heating system of the building was to blame, according to multiple outlets. The church went on to say that the meetinghouse will remain closed until the problem has been fixed.

"We are concerned for the well-being of everyone impacted and are praying for their recovery," the church said in a statement.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.