Dozens of students hurt by carbon monoxide leak
Deadly gas traced to boiler room inside LaSalle elementary school
Dozens of children were hospitalized Monday after being exposed to abnormal levels of carbon monoxide at an elementary school in LaSalle.
At least nine students fainted and another will be kept in a hospital overnight for observation, according to Dr. Robert Barnes, associate director at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
The children are in “perfectly stable” condition, but 10 needed to be transferred to Sacré Coeur hospital for hyperbaric oxygen treatment, Barnes said.
Firefighters arrived at École des Découvreurs on 39th Ave. around 11:35 a.m. and evacuated the school of 300 people. The firefighters traced the source of the carbon monoxide leak to the school’s boiler room.
Urgences-santé spokesperson Stéphane Smith said 43 people were taken to a hospital — 35 children and eight adults. But that number could increase, given that some parents decided to take their kids to the emergency room after picking them up from school. The Children’s Hospital declared a Code Orange around noon, in order to prep for a potential major emergency resulting in multiple casualties.
In total, 17 patients were treated at the McGill University Health Centre; 16 at the Children’s and one at the Royal Victoria Hospital. All are in stable condition, Barnes said.
The rest were either brought to Sainte-Justine Hospital or another Montreal health-care centre.
Francis Leduc, chief of operations with the Montreal fire department, said the school’s heating system had malfunctioned.
“Schools are supposed to be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. The janitor told me there is no detector at the school,” he said. “We’ll be by with our prevention team soon to make sure we keep these children safe.”
A representative from the Ministry of Education said that during a safety inspection last October, École des Découvreurs was found to have a carbon monoxide detector in working order.
“The (building code) says it is recommended but not mandatory to have a carbon monoxide detector,” wrote Francis Bouchard, a spokesperson for the ministry, in a message to the Montreal Gazette. “As for the question of making such devices mandatory, we’ll take the time to study that file together.”
If left untreated, exposure to carbon monoxide can create memory and concentration problems in the long term. Prolonged exposure is fatal.
There were about 40 firefighters on site, most of whom remained long after the children had been removed.
“Once we heard about the symptoms, we knew right away to check for carbon monoxide; it’s something we see a lot,” said Leduc. “Of course, when it’s children involved, it’s always a bit touchy. We have to reach out to parents and if we’re not careful, it can create a panic.”
Gina Guillemette, a spokesperson for the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school board, said staff called 911 when the symptoms began to manifest. The school’s 276 students were transferred to nearby NotreDame-des-Rapides elementary school, where they were housed until they could be picked up to go home.
At Notre-Dame-des-Rapides, children and staff were being treated in a city bus. Paramedics affixed oxygen masks to patients and re-evaluated their symptoms on site. Those who were most severely affected were still being sent away in ambulances as of 2 p.m.
Some parents fought back tears as they hugged their children after the evacuation. One mother, who picked her three children up at the neighbouring school, told the Montreal Gazette she learned of the evacuation from her cousin.
“It’s the safety of our children — naturally we worry,” she said. “Some of my children, their friends fainted, but mine are OK.”
Rina Gollopeni is a third-grade student whose friends were taken to the hospital.
“(My friend) was coughing too much; I’m worried about her,” said Gollopeni. “I don’t know what happened to (my friends) or how they’re doing.”
Halil Gollopeni, Rina’s father, said the school emailed him about the evacuation Monday afternoon.
“You hear the words ‘gas leak’ and you worry,” he said while walking hand in hand with his daughter. “I was confused about what was going on ... but I’m happy Rina is OK.”
It took 17 ambulances to get the children to a hospital and Urgences-santé set up a command centre at the school, according to Smith. He said the children were evaluated after the evacuation and triaged according to their symptoms.
The school will remain closed on Tuesday but should reopen on Wednesday, Guillemette said.