The Newport, New Hampshire Fire Department have provided an update on Wednesday’s midday evacuation of Newport Middle High School.
In a press release, they report that at approximately 9 AM on Wednesday, November 5th, members of the Newport Fire Department responded to the school’s claim of a suspicious odor in the building.
Upon arrival, the building had already been evacuated of all students and staff. Fire personnel then entered the building and discovered a strong odor of vehicle exhaust inside. At this time, no life threatening levels of CO were found. The source of the smell was found to have come from a vehicle inside the automotive repair classroom in the Sugar River Valley Technical Center.
Reportedly, exhaust from the vehicle entered the hallway and then was circulated throughout the building via the ventilation system. As a precaution, students were dismissed at 11:30 AM. The school was fully ventilated and cleared by 4 PM.
According to the report, personnel set-up a mobile triage site to evaluate any students or staff experiencing symptoms. In total, 78 patients were tested at the site.
Three were taken by ambulance, and one by vehicle, to a local medical facility for non-life threatening medical issues.
WNTK Local News 