Elizabeth High School was evacuated this morning after failed kitchen hoods led to a build-up of carbon monoxide.
Elizabeth Fire responded to the call around 8:50 a.m. after staff in the school’s kitchen reported a strange odor.
Students were immediately evacuated and were not in any danger, said Kara Gerczynski, public information officer for Elizabeth Fire.
Detectors showed a build-up of carbon monoxide in the kitchen. A control panel for the HVAC system was hit by lightning last night and shut down the exhaust hoods in the kitchen, Gerczynski said.
The school was aware the panel was hit by lightning but did not know the hoods were not functioning.
Typically, cooks turn on the hoods and start working in the kitchen around 6:30 a.m. By 9 a.m. there was enough of a build-up for them to notice the odor, Gerczynski said.
Fire crews were able to manually open the hoods and the carbon monoxide build-up quickly dissipated. Repairs are underway to fix the hoods.
“By law, fire and building code does not require detectors in the schools —it’s just not something they would normally have,” Gerczynski said.
