By Peter Sblendorio
New York Daily News

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A scary situation unfolded at an eastern Pennsylvania daycare center Tuesday morning when a carbon monoxide leak caused at least 27 people to be hospitalized, officials said.

An undisclosed number of children were among those taken to four area hospitals from the Happy Smiles Learning Center in Allentown, local news station WFMZ reported, citing the city’s fire department.

The victims were all said to be stable following an incident that reportedly required every ambulance in Allentown to respond to the daycare.

Officials arrived at the scene after receiving a call about an unconscious child, and detected that carbon monoxide was prevalent, said Capt. John Christopher of the Allentown Fire Department.

Other victims also showed symptoms, leading to a mass evacuation and for some children to be carried on stretchers, WFMZ reported.

An investigation into what caused the leak is now open.

Authorities say parents have been informed of the issue, while another daycare center reportedly offered to take in some of the Happy Smiles Learning Center’s children following the incident.

Allentown is part of Lehigh County, Pa., and is located about 100 miles west of New York City. It’s the third-biggest city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

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