14 employees fall ill in hazmat situation at Miami Springs Middle School

A carbon monoxide leak sent 14 employees in Miami Springs Middle School’s cafeteria to area hospitals around noon Wednesday, prompting Miami-Dade firefighters to evacuate the area and a nearby classroom, authorities said.

No students from the Grades 6-8 school at 150 S. Royal Poinciana Blvd. were affected.

Several employees working in or around the cafeteria noticed a suspicious smell and began complaining of dizziness and nausea near the start of the lunch hour, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay said. Seventeen fire-rescue teams, including a hazmat crew, were sent to the school to investigate.

Firefighters evacuated the cafeteria and a nearby classroom with about 40 students inside, though none of the students who were moved showed symptoms, Lay said.

No students were in the cafeteria at the time, said Miami-Dade school district spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego. Students were fed in other areas of the school and classes continued.

Ventilators and fans were brought in to air out the cafeteria, where detectors indicated the presence of carbon monoxide, possibly from cooking equipment, Lay said.

The school district believes the cafeteria's propane system may have malfunctioned, Gonzalez-Diego said.

The school cafeteria remains off limits, Gonzalez-Diego said.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 12:49 PM with the headline "14 employees fall ill in hazmat situation at Miami Springs Middle School."