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Children Sickened After Zamboni Leaks Carbon Monoxide at Delaware Ice Rink

The mother of a boy who played hockey at the rink told NBC10 her son along with eight other children and a hockey coach were sickened during the leak and started to vomit.

Several children were sickened during a carbon monoxide leak at an ice rink in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Skating Club of Wilmington, located on 1301 Carruthers Lane, announced Sunday that an ice resurfacing machine known as a Zamboni was found to be leaking carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide exposure can be fatal.

The mother of a boy who played hockey at the rink told NBC10 her son along with eight other 13-year-old boys were sickened during the leak and started to vomit.

"The kids just started dropping like flies and they were going behind the bench and vomiting in trash cans," said Gary Rogers, a parent of one of the players.

They players were so sick they could barely skate off the ice.

"It was really hard to breathe skating out there," said Zach Hackett, one of the players. "We got tired really fast. We were all nauseous, throwing up in trashcans."

Kevin Penfield, the president of the Skating Club of Wilmington Board, also confirmed the children were sickened during a hockey tournament Saturday. 

"From what I understand there was a hockey tournament run by another company at the Skating Club of Wilmington yesterday," he said. "Late in the evening a couple of kids started getting sick."

Responding firefighters discovered the high levels of carbon monoxide after someone called 911. They determined the Zamboni was the source.

The children were taken to the hospital Saturday night and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a parent. They were given oxygen and are currently recovering after being released from the hospital Sunday. The team was healthy enough to play another game in Delaware County Sunday night.

While fire officials determined at 4 a.m. Sunday that the carbon monoxide level dropped low enough for people to reenter the building, the skating club was still closed for the day.

The club says on its Facebook page that the faulty Zamboni was a backup machine. The rink's usual Zamboni is being repaired.

"We've got Zamboni people coming tomorrow as soon as they can to come in and test the exhaust on their vehicle and see if it can be connected," Penfield said.

Penfield told NBC10 this was the first time a Zamboni at the rink had leaked.

"It was completely unexpected on our part," he said. "It wasn't our Zamboni as ours was in the shop. We assumed it could be in operating condition. We regret the incident and we are concerned about the safety of the children."

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NBC Connecticut
A photo of youth hockey players collapsing after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning during a Zamboni leak at a Wilmington, Delaware ice rink Saturday.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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