According to officials with the Northwest Preparatory Charter Academy School in Humble, at about 8:30am a school bus filled with students suffered a mechanical malfunction that caused the bus to fill with smoke. The driver safely pulled over to shoulder of Highway 59. The Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene.
Officials say 18 patients were transported via a mass casualty vehicle called the AMBUS to Memorial Hermann Hospital Northeast. The students were being checked out as a precaution due to elevated carbon monoxide levels.
"About 18 of them presented mildly elevated carbon monoxide levels," said Chief Academic Officer Paul Hardin. "They were not emergency levels but significant enough that we saw 18 of those students transported to Hermann Memorial."
School officials notified parents on their cell phones. The emergency room soon became so busy with students, parents and school officials that it was briefly placed on lockdown.
All the students passed medical tests and were released.
Students from Pre-K to eighth grade attend Northwest Preparatory Charter Academy School.
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