Carbon monoxide alarm leads to evacuation and 23 students hospitalized in Florida

People reports that Cypress Junction Montessori School in Winter Haven was evacuated after a gas leak at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, and 23 students were taken to a hospital. Winter Haven Public Safety Department said a carbon monoxide detector was triggered inside one of the school’s buildings and staff began evacuating students before fire crews arrived.

"We immediately went into the building and said, ‘Guys, this is not a drill. Let's go. Get up. File out,’ and we took them across the street, and they were well-behaved and listened and got to safety," Dr. Kris Newman, the school president and CEO, told FOX 13. Officials said crews found no leak inside, determined the ultimate source causing the alarm was outside, ventilated the structure and ensured the air quality inside was safe; any students who complained of "discomfort" were evaluated on scene.

Twelve students were taken by ambulance and 11 were transported by school bus to a local hospital as a precaution, officials wrote, and all students were in stable condition; the school serves just over 300 students from preschool to eighth grade and other evacuated students were taken to a building not impacted by the incident.

Key Topics

Health, Cypress Junction Montessori, Winter Haven, Kris Newman, Carbon Monoxide, Cdc