GIRARD, Ill. -- More than 140 Illinois middle school students and adults were sent to hospitals Monday after becoming ill because of a carbon monoxide leak caused by a faulty furnace flue, school district and fire officials said.
Several students at North Mac Intermediate School in Girard complained about feeling nauseated, but all were conscious and talking as they were taken away in ambulances, Superintendent Marica Cullen said.
The source of the leak was a flue that came loose on a gas-powered boiler. Repairs have been made, North Mac School Board member Terri Worth said.
Girard is a central Illinois city about 25 miles south of the state capital, Springfield.
At least three students were admitted to St. John's Hospital in Springfield, but most were discharged or under evaluation, a hospital spokesman said. Students also were taken to two other hospitals.
Students not taken to hospitals went to nearby churches, where they were being monitored, authorities said.
Cullen said carbon monoxide had been cleared from the building by late afternoon, but officials canceled class for all district schools today.
A Section on 09/16/2014