Disagreement over cause of student evacuation in O’Fallon, Illinois

Mallory Thomas
·2 min read
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O’FALLON, Ill. – More than two dozen students and a teacher at St. Clare Catholic School were sent to the hospital Thursday after students began to pass out during a schoolwide mass.

“It was scary. I didn’t know what was happening,” fourth grader Willa Holliday said. “An eighth grader fell, and then multiple kids just fell, and then we had to evacuate the building.”

Eighth grader Logan Luechtefeld said his classmate began throwing up.

“He just fell over and passed out, I guess. He started throwing up. About five minutes later, three other people just fell down and passed out,” he said.

Firefighters arrived quickly at the school and found students with various symptoms, including upset stomachs, nausea, and lethargy. The O’Fallon Fire Department said a total of 25 students and an adult went to the hospital. The Fairview Fire Department, Scott Air Force Base Fire Department, St. Clair County Special Emergency Services, Medstar EMS, Abbott EMS, Millstadt EMS, Rural Med EMS, Mascoutah EMS, New Baden EMS, and St. Clair County EMS all responded to assist.

Parents could be seen rushing to the chapel to pick up their kids.

“My heart sank right into my stomach. I freaked out. I just said, ‘Let’s go,’” Jen Smith said.

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The fire department used a giant fan to clear out the gas in the building. They said school will be open on Friday.

“It freaked me out. I’m just glad my daughter is okay and my nephew and it seems like all the kids that passed out are going to be okay,” Jessica Holliday said.

Parents are planning to keep a close watch on their kids for the rest of the day.

“Gave them both a big hug and they seem to be doing okay,” Smith said. “I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye on them all day.”

Meanwhile, Ameren Illinois and the O’Fallon Fire Department disagree over the cause of the medical scare.

Ameren Illinois blames a carbon monoxide leak from a rooftop furnace. However, a spokesperson for the fire department said they had four readers on site, all of them showing high natural gas levels and no carbon monoxide.

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