By Khalida Sarwari
The source of a gaseous odor that prompted the evacuation of the county administration building on Tuesday remains a mystery today.
A smoke alarm sounded in the building, located at 70 W. Hedding St., at about 2:30 p.m., prompting many of the building’s hundreds of occupants to evacuate, county spokeswoman Gwen Mitchell said.
Those who left the building returned to their offices, but about an hour later the alarm sounded again, at which time some occupants reported smelling sewer gas.
A hazardous materials team responded and tested the air. When they determined there were no sewer gas issues in the building, occupants were allowed to return shortly before 5 p.m.
Mitchell said that whatever carried the odor may have activated the smoke alarm, which had a loose screw.
San Jose Department of Transportation crews responded at about 1 a.m. today to inspect the sewer system. The department deals with sanitary sewer maintenance, said Kevin O’Connor, deputy director of transportation.
O’Connor said it was initially thought that the odor was caused by a small amount of debris or blockage in the sewer line coming from the jail. He said, however, that the debris was cleared and that it was not the source of the odor.
The sewage system otherwise appeared to be intact, O’Connor said.
“I want to stress that there was no problem with the sanitary sewer system around the facility,” he said.
The source of the odor remains unknown.
The building houses offices of various county departments and the district attorney’s office.