Jet Dumps Fuel On Dozens Of Children At LA Schools

LOS ANGELES, CA — More than two dozen children at several Los Angeles schools were treated by paramedics Tuesday after they and others were hit with jet fuel dumped by a plane preparing to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said. At one of the schools, 17 children were playing on the school playground for P.E. class when they were hit with jet fuel. The incident prompted outrage and a federal investigation.

Delta Air Lines acknowledged that its Flight 89 had to dump fuel shortly before noon because it needed to make an emergency landing at the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement announcing plans to investigate the incident to find out if the flight crew followed protocol requiring fuel to be dumped over unpopulated areas at a high enough altitude to ensure it disperses before reaching the ground.

Authorities are investigating the hazardous-material exposure to children at several schools in several cities surrounding LAX. At least 20 children and 11 adults at Park Avenue Elementary in Cudahy were exposed, according to fire department officials. The Downey Fire Department responded to Gallatin Pre-School and evaluated seven patients with minor injuries. Additionally, students at Jordan High School and 93rd Street Elementary School in Los Angeles were all affected, along with a combined 12 people at Tweedy Elementary and San Gabriel Elementary School in South Gate. One adult patient at Graham Elementary in the Florence area was also treated. None had to be taken to a hospital, authorities said.

Los Angeles school police said students were dismissed for the day at 93rd Street Elementary, but classes resumed at Jordan High, where students were dismissed at 3 p.m.

Police in Downey confirmed that the fuel release also affected parts of that city, but no injuries were reported.

Emergency crews responded shortly after noon to the school in the 8000 block of Park Avenue and determined that jet fuel had fallen onto the area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Crews then confirmed that the material hitting the students and adults was jet fuel.

All the injuries suffered were minor, according to the fire department. All of the affected students were released at the scene to their parents or family members.

A Shanghai-bound Delta jet that took off from LAX returned to the airport after developing an unknown problem and circled the area to dump fuel.

Josue Burgos, an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Park Avenue Elementary told the Los Angeles Times, he thought it was raining at first.

“We came out and we were playing and the airplane was outside and we thought it was rain, but then we knew it was throwing gas on us and everybody started to run,” Burgos said. “We went to the auditorium and we knew what happened. We went back to class. We stayed for one hour and then we went home.”

“Yeah, it smelled bad,” he added. “It wasn’t water.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District issued a statement saying, "Students and staff were on the playground at the time and may have been sprayed by fuel or inhaled fumes. (School officials) immediately called paramedics, who are on the scene and are treating anyone who is complaining of skin irritation or breathing problems."

According to the district, school officials were "visiting every classroom to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and staff."

Representatives of the district's Office of Environmental Health and Safety and Los Angeles School Police also responded to the school.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement saying it is "thoroughly investigating" the circumstances of the fuel dump.

"There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport," according to the FAA. "These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground."

Delta Flight 89 took off from LAX around 11:15 a.m. According to Delta, the plane "experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return to LAX. The aircraft landed safely after a release of fuel, which was required as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight."

In its statement, Delta said airline officials "are in touch with Los Angeles World Airports and the L.A. County Fire Department and share concerns regarding reported minor injuries to adults and children at a school in the area."

LAX officials issued a statement saying they "are concerned about reports of impacts on the ground from the fuel release and are in close communication with Delta and first responders as their investigations continue."

City News Service contributed to this report.