TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A buildup of carbon monoxide caused by a broken fan in the kitchen of a Titusville elementary school sent one student and two staff members to a hospital on Tuesday, according to Titusville Fire Rescue.
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Spokesman Greg Sutton said 41 other students at Imperial Estates Elementary School complained of symptoms, but they were cleared by medical personnel.
The conditions of the three taken to the hospital were not known.
Fire officials said carbon monoxide was present with the smell of gas as workers prepared lunch for students, prompting someone to pull a fire alarm.
Fire crews found the problem was a vented hood with a broken fan.
"When that fan was not working appropriately, we feel there was a build up of carbon monoxide, which is a byproduct of when you're burning fuel," said Sutton. "We know if we have that in an enclosed environment, and it's not allowed to ventilate anymore, it's going to build up, and when it builds up that's when it can become a problem."
Sutton said it could have been a bigger problem if someone hadn't smelled natural gas, since carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless.
He said it can be deadly.
The school was evacuated, and about 640 students were taken to a shaded area and given water as crews inspected the problem, which was originally believed to be a gas leak.
School officials allowed parents to pick up their children early, but bike riders, walkers and bus riders were not released unless their parents picked them up.
Parents were notified of the incident via the school's rapid notification system, officials said.
Sutton said fire crews gave the school the "all clear" as parents were picking up their children.
He said it's now up to Brevard County Public Schools to repair the broken fan, so that carbon monoxide doesn't build up again.?