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Pocono News Section
Dozens of Cheerleaders Overcome by Fumes
Dozens of Cheerleaders Overcome by Fumes - Monday, October 8, 2007 at 10:00PM EST
Reported by: Joe Holden
Monday, Oct 8, 2007 @10:00pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- A chaotic scene in north Scranton last night as more than 30 cheerleaders were transported to Lackawanna County hospitals. First responders say many of them had trouble breathing.
15-year-old Viking cheerleader Caitlin Nealon was at practice. “We went on break around 7:15 and then it got really bad,” she recalls.
Some of the girls, like Kelsey Maconeghy, didn't notice what others described a pungent ammonia-smell. “All of the sudden I saw ambulances and I said ‘what was going on’ because I didn't smell anything,” she said.
“I didn't know it was smelling. One friend came over and said it smells like cat litter and I was like, ‘what,’ added Nealon.
But one cheerleader after another fell ill, and had trouble breathing. Some of them received oxygen at the field. 32 girls between the ages of 9 and 13 were transported to area hospitals.
The Scranton Fire Department and county emergency managers spent Monday night trying to identify what made the cheerleaders sick.
North Scranton Vikings President Dave Maconeghy said, “They checked the air and thought maybe it was a passing train and stopped it down in Crestwood, but there was nothing. They checked Gerrity's and said everything was fine.” Air tests have been conducted and an investigation is in the works.
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