SUFFOLK, Va. — A dozen people were sent to the hospital Tuesday after a fire extinguisher was accidentally knocked loose and discharged in the hallway of Nansemond River High School during a class change.
Eleven students and one faculty member sustained non-life threatening injuries due to the incident, according to Suffolk Fire & Rescue. About 60 other students who complained of respiratory irritation were evaluated in the school auditorium.
The following day, Suffolk Public Schools shared the following update with us about the 11 students and one adult who were taken to the hospital:
"They all have been released from the hospital and all but one are present today at school. The parent of the absent student decided to keep that student home today."
Nansemond junior Sionney Knight, who was sent to the hospital, spoke to News 3.
“I thought it was a student cooking class,” said Sionney. “I thought they had burnt something, but when we go down there, it’s already everywhere.”
She said it was hard to breathe because the gas went in her nose and mouth.
Sionney’s mother, Danielle Mosley, met her at the hospital and was glad her daughter was released pretty quickly.
But Mosley and other parents are still looking for more of an explanation about the incident.
Teresa Walter’s daughter was inside the school at the time.
“By the time I got here, I knew that she was okay,” said Walter. “ But when I saw the pictures on my phone that she sent me, I was very upset.”
A representative who spoke to reporters off camera said parents of students affected by the extinguisher being discharged were notified first, and later everyone else was notified in an effort to prevent parents from rushing to the school all at once.
“Of course, they want to let the parents of kids that were injured or hurt know first out of respect. I understand that, but kids with their phones, she’s sending me pictures of this smoke-filled hallway, and kids running through the hall en mass,” Walter said. “No, I don’t want to get that and then not hear from the school until two hours later.”
Ebony Person, another parent, came to the school to pick up her daughter only after hearing about the incident on the news.
“Walking in, we get the e-mail,” Person said. “ I asked them why did the news find out before us [and they said] ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ and then they try to hand me the same e-mail. That’s not justifiable.”
“If the kids can tell us, then why can’t they tell us?” Person added.
WATCH: Fire extinguisher accidentally discharges at Nansemond River High School
Video of the incident posted on social media shows a hallway at Nansemond River High School filled with gaseous chemicals. Due to the number of students impacted, Suffolk Fire & Rescue declared it a "mass casualty incident."
Fire extinguishers use chemicals that can cause the type irritation the irritation that sent those 12 people to the hospital, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
"Use in areas with poor air flow, use with intent to harm someone, or intentional inhalation of fire extinguishers can produce serious toxicity and would require medical evaluation," according to the site.
The fire extinguisher in this incident contains a dry chemical powder, Suffolk fire officials said, which is used to suppress class A, B and C fires.
"These contain monoammonium phosphate, which comes out as a yellow powder," the poison center says. "The yellow color helps to distinguish it from other non-multipurpose extinguishers."
The school declined to do any on camera interviews today, but reporters were provided with a copy of a letter the school sent to parents. The letter says, in part, the safety and well-being of students and staff is the school’s top priority:
Suffolk Public Schools takes the safety of all students and staff in our school district as our top priority. This morning at Nansemond River High School, a fire extinguisher was accidentally discharged in the building. Upon the investigation, it was determined that the fire extinguisher was accidentally knocked from the wall mount as students were moving in the hallway between classes. The school immediately moved to a *Code Yellow emergency status to clear the hallways, and Suffolk Fire and Rescue quickly arrived on the scene to contain the incident.
SFR paramedics evaluated over 70 students and confirmed that twelve individuals were transported from the school to area hospitals - one adult and eleven minors - all with non-life-threatening injuries. Parents of students who were directly affected by the fumes from the fire extinguisher were contacted immediately, followed by additional communication to the NRHS school community.
We are thankful for our strong partnership with Suffolk Fire and Rescue and the City of Suffolk for assisting in our communication efforts and responding promptly and efficiently to this situation. Again, we take all school safety incidents seriously and want to inform our community of today’s events.
Please refer any media-related questions and inquiries to the Communications and Communication Engagement Office at 757-923-5244.
*Code Yellow: classrooms are locked, no one leaves the room or area, and only designated persons are allowed in the hall. This code is used for non-threatening emergencies.
Principal of NRHS released also statement about the incident:
This morning during a class change, a fire extinguisher was mistakenly bumped into and subsequently fell from the wall to the floor and the extinguisher discharged. As a result, our school immediately moved to a Code Yellow emergency status to clear the hallways. The incident was contained swiftly, and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of our students or staff. Nine students were transported to the local hospital for further evaluation. Any student or staff or who complained of any discomfort were seen by emergency personnel on site.
I would like to express my gratitude to our dedicated staff and the emergency personnel who responded promptly and efficiently to this situation.
