Prince George Barracudas swimmers and their parents got a scare Sunday in Williams Lake when a chlorine leak forced the evacuation of the Cariboo Memorial Complex pool.
The leak happened in the morning, in the early stages of a swim meet. Jason Smith, a coach with the Barracudas, said 22 club members were at the event and all were OK as of Monday morning.
"Everybody came home [Sunday] but they all had to go to the hospital [Sunday] night because the hospital in Williams Lake said they had to go after 12 hours to get another check," Smith said. "As far as I know, it's all good."
Smith said the affected swimmers will be held out of practices until later in the week.
"They can just stay home and relax and recover and we'll go from there," he said.
At the time of the leak, Smith said some of the club's younger athletes were in the pool.
"They were the ones that got hit the worst because [the chlorine] comes out and the gas trickles down into the water," he said. "So there they are, their mouths are just on the water surface and they're breathing it right in. But they got them out quick enough."
Swimmers were evacuated out of the pool area and to the far end of the complex. The building includes a large lobby and two ice rinks. Soon after, the whole facility was cleared.
The incident sent 70 people -- 45 children and 25 adults -- to Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake. Because of the volume of people, ambulances and private vehicles were used. Two people -- a child from Quesnel and an adult from Williams Lake -- were held overnight for observation.
Spokesman Ken MacInnis described the event as a "chlorine incident" and said authorities are trying to determine the cause. He said the pool uses chlorine gas, not liquid chlorine.
Chlorine is used to sanitize pool water. In high concentrations, particularly when it's airborne, it can turn toxic. Symptoms of chlorine exposure include burning sensations in the eyes and mouth, as well as breathing difficulties.
-- With files from The Canadian Press
