Thirty elementary students at a north suburban school were hospitalized after fumes from a small kiln fire made them sick.
The fire broke out in an art department classroom at Antioch Upper Grade School, officials said. A teacher placed a blanket on the fire in hopes of extinguishing it, but the blanket was not flame resistant, the Antioch Fire Department said.
The teacher evacuated students and pulled a fire alarm. Firefighters arrived at the school at 8:40 a.m., extinguished the fire and checked for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and other contaminants, the fire department said.
About an hour later, the department received a call that students were feeling ill. Fire officials called just after 11 a.m. for more ambulances.
Thirty students were then transported to area hospitals with non-critical injuries, the fire department said.
A school official said no toxic materials were in the kiln at the time of the fire.
As a precaution, the fire department ordered the evacuation of the school at 800 Highview Drive, and school officials decided to release all students early because of the incident.
30 Students Affected by Kiln Fumes in Chicago School
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