12 sickened by odor at Everett's Everest College
EVERETT, Wash. -- Fumes in a building at Everett's Everest College sickened 12 people Wednesday morning, Everett Fire officials said.
Firefighters and hazardous materials teams got the call just before 10 a.m. that people were complaining of headaches and nausea inside the college building at 906 SE Everett Mall Way, said Eric Hicks with the Everett Fire Department.
One student said several in his class started feeling ill.
"We were in class... a few students noticed a strange odor that we couldn't exactly pinpoint," said the student, who didn't want to give his name. "Some of the students got nauseous, some got headaches, some got dizzy and started to blackout."
Hazmat crews arrived and evacuated the building as medics began treating those who were feeling ill.
"I never smelled anything like it before," the first student said. "The smell made me wrinkle my nose... it didn't smell like an exhaust or anything burning. It had some sort of sour scent to it, but that's the only way to describe it."
Medics decided that 11 of the victims should be taken to a local hospital, while a 12th victim was treated at the scene.
The student, who was among the 11 taken to the hospital, said he underwent tests in the ER, but doctors didn't find any ill effects. All 11 patients have since been released.
So far, the source of the smell remains unknown.
"The hazmat team came in and did a sweep of the building. Nothing was found," said Eric Hicks with Everett Fire. "They did a second sweep. Nothing was found again."
Many of the students thought the nauseating gas originated on the top floor and may have circulated down through air vents.
"They have labs in the classroom so we weren't sure if there was an experiment that went wrong," said student Jeff Anderson.
Hicks added: "They could have cleaning chemicals up there, chemicals to clean certain tools."
An industrial hygienist says the problem might be traced to ethyl alcohol -- a sterilizing agent with a powerful smell, but essentially safe.
Firefighters and hazardous materials teams got the call just before 10 a.m. that people were complaining of headaches and nausea inside the college building at 906 SE Everett Mall Way, said Eric Hicks with the Everett Fire Department.
One student said several in his class started feeling ill.
"We were in class... a few students noticed a strange odor that we couldn't exactly pinpoint," said the student, who didn't want to give his name. "Some of the students got nauseous, some got headaches, some got dizzy and started to blackout."
Hazmat crews arrived and evacuated the building as medics began treating those who were feeling ill.
"I never smelled anything like it before," the first student said. "The smell made me wrinkle my nose... it didn't smell like an exhaust or anything burning. It had some sort of sour scent to it, but that's the only way to describe it."
Medics decided that 11 of the victims should be taken to a local hospital, while a 12th victim was treated at the scene.
The student, who was among the 11 taken to the hospital, said he underwent tests in the ER, but doctors didn't find any ill effects. All 11 patients have since been released.
So far, the source of the smell remains unknown.
"The hazmat team came in and did a sweep of the building. Nothing was found," said Eric Hicks with Everett Fire. "They did a second sweep. Nothing was found again."
Many of the students thought the nauseating gas originated on the top floor and may have circulated down through air vents.
"They have labs in the classroom so we weren't sure if there was an experiment that went wrong," said student Jeff Anderson.
Hicks added: "They could have cleaning chemicals up there, chemicals to clean certain tools."
An industrial hygienist says the problem might be traced to ethyl alcohol -- a sterilizing agent with a powerful smell, but essentially safe.
