MARBLEHEAD — Two people were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after emergency crews responded Friday morning to a possible carbon monoxide incident at Coffin Elementary School. The school was closed after the incident for the remainder of the school day.
Interim School Superintendent William McAlduff said in a mid-morning statement the Turner Road school was evacuated at 7:45 a.m. after a boiler malfunction released carbon monoxide gas and triggered high carbon monoxide monitor readings.
Two maintenance workers who were in the boiler room were transported to the hospital for precautionary measures having been exposed to the gas.
McAlduff said at the time of evacuation, only staff and one student were in the building. Emergency medical personnel were available at both Coffin and Eveleth (where some Coffin staff had gone to be with the Coffin children) to check out any staff who felt they had carbon monoxide symptoms.
Once the evacuation decision was made at 8 a.m., McAlduff said school was cancelled for the day and school workers informed parents dropping their children off for school about the incident and the decision to close.
Children who walked to school or were dropped off were put into a Marblehead school bus to keep warm. Once it was determined that school would not reopen, these 20 students were bused to the Eveleth School where parents were called.
“The school department has informed parents and will continue to provide updates to our families,” McAlduff said.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
