Habaneros Close School

This is a new one on me. A Haz-Mat team was called to a Denver area school after students returned from recess with symptoms of a severe allergic reaction. A teacher's aid and thirty students were treated for exposure to an unknown irritant. Some were hospitalized. The Jefferson County open school in Lakewood was closed Tuesday so officials could search for the contaminant.

The search eventually revealed the culprit, a half dozen habanero peppers near the school yard. Officials hosed down the schoolyard, and playground equipment to remove the powerful oils. KUSA reports the school will reopen on Wednesday.