MONTEZUMA CREEK, Utah — A carbon monoxide leak forced an evacuation at Montezuma Creek Elementary School and resulted in the hospitalization of 25 people Monday morning.
According to a press release from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers were notified via a 911 call that students were dizzy and sick.
Emergency personnel from Montezuma Creek, Bluff, Monticello, Blanding and Navajo Nation arrived at the school, where San Juan School District officials said an estimated 280 students were in attendance.
The emergency responders triaged 30 students and teachers at the scene. Two patients, one student and one adult, were taken by helicopter to an area hospital.
Twenty-three other patients, a mix of students and adults, were also taken to area hospitals.
Other students in attendance at the school were evacuated and reunited with their parents and legal guardians.
School maintenance workers traced the cause of the leak to a water heater and exhaust system.
Classes at Montezuma Creek Elementary School are expected to resume Tuesday.
