19 sickened by unknown irritant

Nineteen people were taken to hospitals Thursday morning after reporting an irritation from an unknown chemical substance at Savannah Elementary School, authorities said.

Most of the 16 students and three adults suffered minor irritations, but one adult had difficulty breathing, said Inspector Frank Garrido of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The incident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. at the school in the 3700 block of Rio Hondo Avenue. A hazardous materials unit searched the grounds but failed to find the source of the irritant, Garrido said.

A chlorine-like smell was first detected on the school’s playground, but the scent had dissipated by midmorning, officials said.

“It could have been a cloud of something that blew through that was released from somewhere,” Garrido said.