Portsmouth carbon monoxide leak sends 14 to hospital

Twelve children and two adults were taken to local hospitals Monday to be evaluated for carbon monoxide poisoning after firefighters responded to a call about children getting sick at a day care center.

Portsmouth Fire Capt. Paul Hoyle said the call came in just after 4 p.m. from Centenary United Methodist Church in the 3300 block of Cedar Lane that children there were "throwing up and they weren't sure what was going on."

"The first unit that got there did a reading for carbon monoxide," he said.

Hoyle said the reading came back high, so they assessed all of the children. Some, he said, had minor symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as nausea, and the people were treated mainly as a precaution.

Investigators determined Monday night that a boiler on the first floor of the building was the source of the carbon monoxide.