Chaos erupted at a San Jose middle school Wednesday morning when several students reported breathing difficulties, prompting an emergency response that impacted traffic and raised health alarms. The San Jose Fire Department was called to Sunrise Middle School following reports of multiple patients struggling to breathe. This incident led to two juveniles being sent to the hospital.
FINAL UPDATE: Classroom contained elevated levels of CO2. HazMat team also checked for numerous other airborne contaminants, all of which were negative. Source of CO2 has been removed and levels restored to normal. Classroom returned to the school and traffic has been reopened.
— San José Fire Dept. (@SJFD) May 8, 2024
Responding to the scene on the 1100 block of E Julian St., SJFD crews quickly assessed the situation and found most students' breathing issues were subsiding. The gravity of the situation remained as traffic on E Julian St. was bogged down, and the school became a de facto triage zone. According to the Fire Department’s social media, two juveniles were required hospitalization for further medical scrutiny, and all other affected individuals were released to their parents or guardians after their symptoms improved.
The incident initially caused panic among parents and staff, and it took a more controlled turn when the SJFD's Hazardous Materials team joined the intervention, meticulously searching for potential airborne threats within the classroom environment. As Patch reported, crews were first dispatched to the school just after 9 a.m., with most symptoms resolving an hour later; however, lingering concerns about the cause of the incident prompted thorough environmental tests.
Ultimately, the HazMat team identified elevated levels of CO2 as the culprit. Students were welcomed back into the classroom after eliminating the source and restoring air quality to safe levels. Traffic was rerouted through the once congested E Julian St., which had returned to its natural flow, according to final updates from the Fire Department’s X post.
