ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Eight students were injured Wednesday after a fight broke out at Meadow Woods Middle School and students were pepper sprayed, Orange County Fire Rescue said.
A school resource officer deployed their pepper spray to break up a fight causing reactions to the spray, eighth grader Gaby Maldonado told News 6.
Several students told News 6 that two girls got into a fight and were hitting each other. The officer pepper sprayed them when he couldn't separate them.
After the one of the lunch periods several students began fighting, Meadow Woods principal Marisol Mendez said in a message for parents.
"The students did not obey the orders given by the school resource officer to stop the physical altercation," Mendez said. "The school resource officer used pepper spray to control the situation before it escalated further."
According to students, the pepper spray got picked up by wind and carried into the eyes and mouths of nearby students walking to class.
"It hurts it really hurts," Maldano said of inhaling pepper spray. "The clinic was full of people."
Seven patients were treated on scene and refused transport to a hospital after the fight at 1800 Rhode Island Woods Circle, officials said.
One student was transported to Nemours, Orange County Fire Rescue said. A school administrator went with the student.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said they are investigating the fight.
"It's hard when you see a message 'Hey, I was pepper sprayed,'" a student's sister, Alejandra Gomez said. "How did that happen in that school?"
Gomez said she picked up her seventh grader sister early after she was hit with pepper spray, too.
The fight follows several incidents at Orange County Public Schools Wednesday.
Deputies are investigating after a noose was found Wednesday morning hanging outside at Gotha Middle School in Windermere.
Also on Wednesday, a threatening message was discovered written on a Timber Creek High School bathroom stall.
Check back to ClickOrlando.com for more on this developing story.