Dance teacher praises emergency services and Craigavon Hospital who treated 25 children aged 4 to 16 after gas incident in Lurgan

Louise Fahey said she immediately got everyone out of the unit at the CIDO business park in Charles Street after a strong gas odour like rotten eggs.

Children, aged four to 16 were attending the Little Starz Academy of Performing Arts rehearsing for the Little Mermaid show, their teachers and parents were evacuated from the building.

Louise revealed that the kids and teachers had been in the unit for about 20 minutes when she arrived.

“I came in and thought WOW, what is that smell?” she said adding that everyone in the unit said they were struggling to cope with the smell.

“I just said, get everyone out. It smelt like rotten eggs, like a gas smell. We got everyone out of the studio and called the Fire Brigade,” said Louise who was in tears and upset after a long night at Craigavon Hospital.

“The Fire Brigade came and did a reading test and told us to clear the area and get the kids away from the units. So that was a bit of panic. We took them out to the front of the gates and it was cordoned off,” said Louise.

“Thank God I got them out quickly. A few weren’t feeling well so we went over to the hospital. There were just too many of us. We had to get cars over.”

Louise was full of praise for Craigavon Area Hospital, CIDO and the NI Fire and Rescue Service as well as the NI Ambulance Service. “They were so good with the kids.

“They were all panicking and parents were upset. Everyone had to be taken to get checked. I spoke to parents this morning and everyone is out of hospital now.

“It was horrible. Then you hear it was carbon monoxide and you hear that if you were left in there any longer, you would have been ...” said Louise in a trembling voice.

“In 12 years of teaching to be told that if you had left them another hour in there (the class is two hours) if we had left them in there any longer, they wouldn’t have come out alive. It was horrible to hear that. And I just can’t get that out of my head,” she said sobbing.

“But it’s done now and we got out and there is no drama. My two own children (aged four and five) were in there as well,” she said.

She said even the adults who were dropping children off and were only outside the studio were asked to go to hospital and get checked out as the readings were so high.

“They cleared all the units in CIDO and I must say everyone at CIDO including Cara Dallat was amazing. She was up all night checking on everyone,” said Louise who has had a dance studio in CIDO for four years. “Nothing major like this has happened before.”

She revealed six adults and 25 children went to Craigavon Hospital’s Emergency Department last night. “They kept me in for a while as my stress levels were high and my oxygen levels were low, but I am OK now. A few others were kept in just to keep an eye on them. I got home just before 12 last night.

“The hospital was unreal. When we arrived they had boxes of sweets and crisps and juice for the children. Every child was seen immediately, got tested and were given oxygen. The ambulance staff were brilliant. They looked at every child and checked them even children that said they felt fine,” said Louise.

The classes in Lurgan have been cancelled this weekend but Louise says the Little Mermaid Show, in Portadown Town Hall on Friday May 27 at 7pm, will still go ahead.

“CIDO is getting Carbon Monoxide detectors for the studio as a precaution. Everyone is OK and that is the main thing. They are great kids. They are like my family. I am so glad we did the right thing getting the kids out. CIDO were great and knocked every unit and got everyone out.”

Cara Dallat, Chief Executive of CIDO said: “Early evening yesterday I was informed by some of my staff that there had been a smell of gas at the dance school at the Lurgan site. Louise who owns the dance school very promptly said this doesn’t smell right and got the kids out. She evacuated them immediately and called the Fire Brigade. The Fire Brigade were there very quickly and the detectors showed some degree of carbon monoxide levels. They did a very thorough and prompt investigation in every single unit. We provided the keys and they detected high levels in one particular unit. It took them a few hours and they called NIE to check all pipework etc.

“They identified the source from one particular unit which appeared to be car exhaust fumes. This has now been cleared after checks last night and again this morning. The business park is now back open and the incident is over. We have identified the source and it has been dealt with.

“The staff at CIDO reacted really quickly. The NI Ambulance Service were fantastic with the kids as was the Fire Brigade. The children were taken to hospital as a precaution. CIDO is very much health and safety first and I am glad that they did that. We are very thankful that the kids were let out of hospital last night and everyone is OK.”

A spokesperson for Craigavon Area Hospital said last night: “A group of people, including children, attended Craigavon Area Hospital Emergency Department this evening following an incident in Lurgan.

“We worked closely with ambulance colleagues and were able to make preparations for the arrival of people to our ED.

“Each person was assessed on arrival by our staff and most did not require any further assistance and were discharged. A few remain in the hospital but they are also expected to be discharged tonight.

“Despite the ED at Craigavon Area Hospital being very busy tonight, our dedicated staff did their very best to care for patients in difficult circumstances and it is greatly appreciated.”

The NI Fire and Rescue Service also attended due to suspected Carbon Monoxide issues.

NIFRS Group Commander William Johnston said last night: “The Fire Service got a call to Charles Street, Lurgan are 7.15pm with the report of a smell of gas.

“Crews from Lurgan and Portadown attended along with a Hazmat officer. A number of the units within the business complex were checked because of the reported smell of gas.

“The units were checked with a gas monitor and there were readings of carbon monoxide identified in one of the units. The units were ventilated and checked again later. The readings were cleared at zero by the end of the incident. “The crews left the scene at around 8pm and plan to return to the scene in the morning as a precaution,” he said, adding that he was aware of three people taken to hospital with possible carbon monoxide poisoning including two children aged nine.”

This morning (Friday) a NIAS spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 18.03 on Thursday, 06 May 2022 following reports of an incident in the Charles Street area, Lurgan.

“NIAS despatched one Emergency crew and one Hazardous Area Response Team to the incident.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to Craigavon Area Hospital by ambulance.”

The SDLP’s Dolores Kelly said: “It is a terribly worrying incident. Hopefully all the young people are OK.”

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