SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says it treated 15 patients, two of whom were taken to the hospital, as it responded to Rosa Parks Elementary School Friday morning to investigate an odor.
The department's incident webpage says first responders arrived on the scene at 4510 Landis Street around 9 a.m. SDFD said 12 adults and three children were exposed to the odor. One adult and one child were taken to a hospital in the area for further medical evaluation.
As of 2 p.m., the department's hazmat team was still on the scene trying to identify the source of the smell.
A spokesperson from San Diego Unified School District told ABC 10News that students were removed from class "out of an abundance of caution."
"The cause of the odor is unknown at this time," SDFD says.
The department's hazmat team was on the scene investigating the source of the odor.
Jason Shanley, the fire information officer with San Diego Fire Rescue, said while they haven't pinpointed the source of the smell, they're looking for what it's not. "Many times we’re not able to figure out exactly what it is but we can tell what it’s not so sometimes that’s good enough for us," said Shanley.
Around 11:30 a.m., the district sent an email to Rosa Parks ES families to inform them that they would likely not move students back into their classrooms until 1 to 2 p.m., giving parents the option to come pick up their children.
Parents were directed to go to the garden gate at the front of the school, located at the end of the front staff parking lot, to pick up their children. They were also advised to bring their IDs.
"Please be patient as this reunification process will take some time as we ensure that all students are safely reunified with their families," the district's email said.
The district reiterated that staff and students were safe, and the people who needed medical attention had received it. The district says it will share a full update about the incident later Friday.
When ABC 10News spoke to parent Rosalie Rodrigues, she was relieved to hear her son was safe. When asked, "As long as your kid is safe, you're okay?" She responded with, "Yes, absolutely."
This is a developing story. ABC 10News has sent a crew to the scene to gather the latest information.
