CORONA: Hazmat incident at Centennial High sends 4 to hospital

Cleaning equipment that was emitting fumes at Centennial High School in Corona sent three firefighters and a custodian to the hospital Monday, Sept. 7, according to the Corona Fire Department.googleoff: all

The hazmat response came about five hours before a bomb threat to the school was phoned in to police. The two incidents were unrelated, officials said.googleoff: all

The school’s fire alarm went off Monday evening, and fire crews discovered “what appeared to be light smoke and an odor of electrical equipment overheating in a classroom,” Fire Department officials wrote in a news release.googleoff: all

Fire crews found that a piece of equipment used to clean electronics was off-gassing fumes. A hazardous materials team was sent in and a perimeter was set up around the area, fire officials said.googleoff: all

Three firefighters and a school custodian experienced dizziness and respiratory pain, and were taken to the hospital. They have been released, officials said.googleoff: all

Just after midnight, the Fire Department “mitigated the hazardous materials incident and returned the classroom back to Corona-Norco Unified School District officials for follow-up,” the release said.googleoff: all

School district officials could not be reached after hours Tuesday for comment.googleoff: all

It was the second incident in four days at Centennial High that the Fire Department responded to. A minor gas leak was reported Friday morning in the metal shop, fire department spokeswoman Lynn Mata said. Firefighters were on scene for only about 20 minutes. The district was going to get a plumber to replace a valve, Mata said.