A spill of liquid bleach at an East County community center sickened dozens of children and several teachers at a nearby primary school Tuesday and sent them to hospitals for precautionary exams.
Children and employees at Rio Seco Elementary School in Santee began smelling a caustic odor and complaining of nausea, stinging eyes and mild shortness of breath about 8 a.m., according to sheriff's officials.
Medics evaluated 77 students and four school staffers at the scene and then took them to hospitals to be checked out for apparently minor chemical- exposure symptoms, Santee fire Chief Richard Mattick told reporters. All the patients were listed in stable condition.
Officials kept some unaffected students in their classrooms as public safety crews worked to identify the source of the fumes, which turned out be a spill of a chlorine-based chemical at nearby Cameron Family YMCA.
The YMCA posted on its Facebook page that the facility's pool is temporarily closed. The gym remained open.
Deputies closed Cuyamaca Street between Mast Boulevard and Mission Creek Drive while crews handled the emergency. Motorists were advised to avoid the area until the situation could be resolved.
About 11 a.m., investigators determined that no further public risk existed, and classes resumed at the campus shortly thereafter, according to Santee School District officials.
