Story posted Friday, June 19, 2009
Bad Chlorine Mix Evacuates Elk Grove Pools
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Several hundred people were evacuated for several hours at two popular Elk Grove Village Park District facilities yesterday (Thursday) as clouds of chlorine gas filled the air.
Fire crews responded first to Pirates Cove Theme Park at about 11:30 a.m. where workers were mixing a new type of chlorine in five gallon buckets containing remnants of a different type of chlorine mix. When the two chemical compounds interacted they formed a hazardous chemical cloud, according to Fire Chief David Miller.
Miller said when he arrived at Pirates Cove workers informed him the same new chlorine compounds were being mixed at Rainbow Falls Water Park.
Miller took an engine company and hazardous materials company to Rainbow Falls and evacuated that facility as well.
The chlorine was only mixed in buckets and never made its way to pools where the public was swimming, Miller said.
The buckets were safely diluted in the bumper boats pool at Pirates Cove and were diluted with water in the Rainbow Falls parking lot.
Three children from Pirates Cove were transported to Alexian Brothers Medical Center for observation and released. Seven adults signed wavers at the scene for treatment at Pirates Cove. No injuries were reported at Rainbow Falls.
Both parks were reopened to the public at about 2:30 p.m. yesterday.
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