Mass casualty response activated after 19 report illness at Laurel youth academy

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Nineteen people were transported to local hospitals after experiencing similar but minor symptoms at Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy Sunday afternoon, prompting a mass casualty response.

Around 2:21 p.m. on July 26, crews with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department were called to the academy, located in the 3200 block of Oak Hill Drive in Laurel, for a reported medical emergency, officials said.

When crews arrived, they evaluated a patient and determined that this was the third call from the academy within about 90 minutes, presenting with similar symptoms.

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A carbon monoxide (CO) investigation was initiated out of an abundance of caution, according to officials.

An additional 15 patients later reported experiencing similar, but minor symptoms. That prompted a mass casualty response, bringing the total number of patients evaluated and transported to hospitals to 19.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department, with help from Fort Meade Fire Department and the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the academy, according to authorities.

No carbon monoxide readings were detected.

The incident remains active, and officials continue to investigate the cause of the patients’ symptoms. But based on similar activities will all the patients, officials believe the cause may be related to food.

“Though no definitive cause has been confirmed,” the Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesperson told FOX45 News via email.

At this time, the ages of the patients are unknown.

Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy is for people 15 years and seven-months-old to age 18, and “is a life intervention, dropout reintegration, and General Education Development (GED) preparatory program, run by the District of Columbia National Guard in partnership with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia,” according to the academy’s website.