Children were taken to hospital after being "inadvertently exposed" to hazardous material. First responders were called to the Bright Horizons day care centre in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with multiple emergency vehicles on the scene.

State hazmat technicians are en route to the scene to assist the Wellesley Fire Department, the State Fire Marshal's Office said. An ambulance and several police and fire vehicles are seen outside the building in photos from the scene, while aerial shots show numerous ambulances in the parking lot. Wellesley Police said in a post on X around 12:45 p.m. that "several children were inadvertently exposed to a commercial-grade dish cleaner." The children are being evaluated by rescue crews, and some have already been taken to nearby hospitals.

The fire department received a call at 11.15am that several children had a rash, with 12 of the 40 children at the daycare affected. Eleven children were hospitalised.

They are still investigating which irritant caused the rash, but the fire department thinks it may be connected to the soap dispensers.

Bright Horizons said in an email this afternoon that they are trying to figure out what happened. When children and staff presented with a rash, staff immediately took action and called emergency services.

The statement said: "The children and staff received medical attention on-site and some have been transported to local hospitals for further evaluation. 

“We are working with our janitorial vendor to understand if they may have used the wrong product in the hand-washing centers. We remain in close communication with families at the center while we try to determine a cause for what happened. 

“We are grateful for the quick response by the emergency responders. The safety and well-being of the children in our care remain our highest priority."