Red Deer Emergency crews continue to investigate a chlorine-related incident at the Radisson hotel that sent 19 people to hospital on Saturday night.
John Gelinas, Red Deer Emergency Services deputy fire chief, said on Monday crews responded to the Radisson hotel, 6500 67th Street just before 11 p.m.
The incident was initially reported as a chlorine leak.
Further investigation will determine the root cause of the exposure to the excessive chlorine.
All 19 people were taken to hospital for assessment. No serious injuries were reported.
“The complaint came in for some of the patrons that had signs and symptoms of possible exposure to chlorine,” said Gelinas. “At that point in time, through information we had from the 911 office, was that it was a chlorine leak in the pool area.”
On scene, crews confirmed some people at the hotel showed symptoms of chlorine exposure.
“That would include running eyes and coughing,” said Gelinas. “There were 19 people were assessed by fire paramedics.”
A hazardous material team arrived on scene and tested the area. It showed higher chlorine levels in the pool area, but those were diminished over time due to the ventilation fire crews employed.
The rest of the hotel was inspected and found there were no concerns about chlorine in the rest of the hotel and no evacuation was required.
“There were several causes that were investigated,” said Gelinas. “One way or the other there was a higher level of chlorine than normal. How it was released into the pool area, we don’t know, but we treated it as a possible leak and dispatched our Haz Mat folks.”
After further inspection by the fire marshal, the pool area was closed down, until the cause could be identified and addressed. According to Alberta Health Services, a public health inspector was on scene on Monday inspecting the area further.
According to a Red Deer Emergency Services press release, the pool was closed after the incident and will remain closed until the necessary repairs can be made.