More than one hundred kids evacuated from Prairie Heights Elementary School

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) - More than one hundred kids and teachers were evacuated from Prairie Heights Elementary School Friday because of heightened levels of Carbon Monoxide found in the building, according to the Hanover Fire District.

Teachers in the school say that around thirty kids needed to be put on oxygen, and one teacher was sent to the hospital for dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.

The Hanover fire station initially responded to the school because of a medical call when one teacher began complaining of concerning physical symptoms and had an underlying health condition. That's when they tested for carbon monoxide and noticed elevated levels in certain parts of the building.

Jourdan Ellis is a third-grade teacher at Prairie Heights and said his day began normally.

"I noticed that my room was a little bit warmer than usual, but I figured, you know, I have 25 little 8-year-olds in my classroom, so it could have just been their bodies putting heat off," Ellis said.

But teachers say as the day went on, more and more kids began complaining of headaches and nausea.

"We started sending them to the office and then it seemed like they just kept multiplying and multiplying," Sydni Cejudo, a teacher with the district said.

When the first responders showed up, they evacuated the kids and teachers into the surrounding buildings that were safe. Cejudo says around thirty kids needed oxygen treatment on site, but were taken home by three with no other physical symptoms.

According to a Facebook Post by the Hanover Fire District, the school did find the source of the Carbon Monoxide gas and has called for repairs to fix it.