An Oregon teenager was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after authorities said he inhaled fumes from a toxic chemical mixture inside his high school cafeteria.
Officials said the 15-year-old boy allegedly brought chemicals from home and mixed them together Tuesday morning at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland.
After breathing in the fumes, the student became seriously ill, prompting school staff members, including the nurse, to begin lifesaving measures, according to Portland Fire & Rescue.
Emergency responders reached the cafeteria at about 8.30am and took over treatment from the school nurse, who had been performing CPR, KATU 2 reported.
The teen, whose name has not been released publicly, was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where he remained in critical condition.
Students at the school told the outlet they detected a strong chemical odor as the situation unfolded.
‘I went to walk through an area by the commons, the cafeteria – which is where the incident happened – and as I’m walking through, I catch a whiff of like this sort of methane-type, sulfuric smell,’ student Logan Arroyo said.
Another student, identified as Peter, said that once alarms began sounding, classmates started asking one another to borrow phones so they could call their parents, the outlet reported.
A 15-year-old boy allegedly brought chemicals from home and stirred them together at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland on Tuesday morning. Pictured: a bystander at the school
According to Portland Fire & Rescue, the student inhaled the mixture and became sick as school employees, including the school nurse, rushed to administer lifesaving efforts
Fire and emergency crews arrived in the cafeteria at around 8.30am and took over care of the student from a school nurse, who was attempting CPR
‘I think most of us thought there would just be a quick lockdown and then we’d all go back to our usual business,’ another student said.
‘Then the actual evacuation was ordered about 15 minutes later.’
Students were evacuated to the Buckman Field Park and encouraged to return to go home to their families for the remainder of the day.
A hazardous materials team responded and ‘neutralize[d] the liquid that was on the cafeteria floor to prevent any further health concerns and off gassing,’ Portland Fire said.
The teenager was originally thought to have drunk the chemical mixture but officials later clarified he inhaled the fumes.
A spokesperson for Portland Fire and Rescue told the outlet that officials initially suspected a ‘chemical spilled in the cafeteria.’
‘A couple independent white unlabeled gallon jugs of chemicals were spilled and mixed on the on the cafeteria floor that caused a student to be ill,’ the spokesperson said.
Portland Police spokesperson Mike Benner said the teen was ‘surrounded by family,’ while in hospital.
Students were evacuated to the Buckman Field Park and encouraged to return to go home to their families for the remainder of the day
Dr Kimberlee Armstrong, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, described the situation as ‘devastating, stressful and scary’
Benner said on Wednesday that the student was ‘still alive and critical condition at the hospital’ and is expected to survive.
Authorities confirmed they are aware of a social media post related to the event, which was being analyzed as part of the investigation, according to WTOC.
‘Our thoughts are with our students and those impacted,’ Kimberlee Armstrong, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, said. ‘This is devastating, stressful and scary.’
Superintendent Armstrong added that school administrators were cooperating with emergency responders and police.
Portland Public Schools said classes would be canceled on Wednesday, but are set to return to normal scheduling by Thursday.
Our News Outlet reached out to Portland Public Schools for comment.
