At least 19 cadets at a military-style youth academy in the Washington, D.C., region were taken to nearby hospitals Sunday after reporting symptoms from an unidentified illness, triggering a mass casualty response, officials said.
Emergency responders were called to the Capital Guardian Youth Challenge Academy in Laurel, Maryland, after cadets began feeling sick following lunch, the D.C. National Guard said, according to FOX 5 DC.
The academy, run by the D.C. National Guard, describes itself as a military-style life intervention program for at-risk teenagers.
One mother told FOX 5 that hospital blood tests showed her son had elevated carbon monoxide levels. She said he developed symptoms later than other cadets who had already been taken for medical care, including dizziness, headaches and nausea.
The mother also said the youth academy opted to temporarily shut down after the incident.
Anne Arundel County Fire Department officials, however, said they carried out a carbon monoxide investigation and did not find elevated levels of the gas, the local station reported.
Authorities have not confirmed what caused the cadets to become ill, though officials said the episode may have been food-related.
D.C. National Guard officials said the health and safety of cadets and staff remain their top priority, and that they are coordinating with emergency medical teams and public health authorities while the investigation continues, according to FOX 5.
Officials added that while 19 cadets were sent to area hospitals, one adult was evaluated at the scene and declined further medical treatment.
Fox News Digital reached out to DC National Guard for more information.
