Eight students and one faculty member at a Manchester church fell ill Monday afternoon after fumes from a chemical used during maintenance work got into the building's ventilation system, according to the fire department.
Fire officials said they were called to the Church of Nazarene at 218 Main Street around 12:20 p.m.
A maintenance worker had sprayed a lubricant that created a strong odor, then sprayed air freshener in an effort to cover it up. That only made the smell worse, and fumes spread through the building, according to the fire department.
Two hundred students and faculty members moved from the school section of the building to the auditorium in hopes of escaping the smell, which was initially suspected to be carbon monoxide.
Fire officials said eight students felt sick and were treated at the church, then sent home with their parents. One faculty member was taken to Manchester Memorial Hospital.
Crews from the Manchester Fire Department ventilated the building, while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection checked the building. Emergency responders cleared the scene at 1:20 p.m.
