16 Students, 3 Adults Injured in Explosion at School
CERES, Calif. — Fumes from an aerosol cleaner exploded at an elementary school Monday, seriously burning three janitors and blowing smoke and debris onto children outside. Sixteen pupils suffered minor injuries.
Shortly before school began, a janitor apparently lit a cigarette in a 4-by-10-foot workroom filled with fumes from a chewing-gum remover that was being sprayed on furniture, Police Sgt. Hollie Hall said.
“Gum remover is highly volatile,†said Supt. Bruce Newlin. “The result was they were blown out of the custodial closet.â€
The janitors were hospitalized in serious condition with burns on the arms, chest and neck, Hall said.
The students were treated for bruises, smoke inhalation and ringing ears, said Linda Aycock, office manager at Carroll Fowler School.
Ceres is a city of 26,000 about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco.
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