Natural gas leak sickens many students in O’Fallon, Illinois
O’FALLON, Ill. – A school has been evacuated after 17 students became ill Thursday morning in the gym. This is at St. Clare Catholic Grade School on West Third Street.
The source of the sickness appears to be a natural gas leak. There is a triage area set up to treat other students who have been affected.
The gas leak was in a kitchen. Police tell FOX 2 that the source of the leak has been isolated and parents have been notified.
Students at the school have been sent to the old church across the street. Parents are showing up to pick up their kids. The school has canceled classes for the remainder of the day.
Students were in the gym for an all-school mass Thursday morning at around 9 a.m. That is where they started feeling ill.
“One of my friends who was sitting right behind us in the all-school mass checked his Apple Watch and noticed that his heart-rate went up drastically. A minute later he just fell over and passed out. He then started throwing up. Some of the teachers started helping and then, about five minutes later, we all started moving away.
Then three other people fell down and just passed out. By that time the ambulance got here and some paramedics. They started to get people out of the building,” said Logan Luechtefeld.
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“It is certainly a scary situation. We have all the faith in the world in the administration and everybody else here. They got a text out pretty quickly that allowed us to get here and pick up our kids,” said Ryan Luechtefeld.
Seventeen children have been taken to the hospital to be evaluated. We’re told they have mild, non-life-threatening symptoms.
A large fan is circulating air through the building now to clear it out. The kids were scared and the reunion with their parents was emotional.
First responders are on the scene. In addition to the O’Fallon Fire Department, St. Clair County Special Emergency Services has also been dispatched to the scene. They handle hazmat and other emergency calls in St. Clair County.
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