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DRAPER — Nine children and five adults were hospitalized with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning Wednesday in Draper, firefighters said.
The incident happened at a preschool at the American Preparatory Academy campus at 12894 S. Pony Express Rd., after a contractor was working with gas-powered equipment and the fumes got into the school, sickening some of the students and staff members, Draper firefighters reported.
First responders were called to the campus at 3:40 p.m. and a staff member said a few kids and other staff members were nauseous and vomiting, so they had evacuated the school.
The Unified fire hazmat team confirmed elevated carbon monoxide levels throughout the building. They were still investigating whether any carbon monoxide alarms went off to alert the occupants.
The carbon monoxide potentially impacted up to 45 children and 10 adults, firefighters said, as the exposure happened throughout the day — and 14 hospitalizations have been reported. Most went to the hospital in personal vehicles, Draper Fire Capt. Michael Shanahan said.
He described the symptoms experienced by those who were sickened as the initial symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The building was undergoing maintenance and construction at the time of the incident Wednesday, Shanahan said.
