2 Treated for Chlorine Gas at Simi Pool

Two children were hospitalized Wednesday after they were exposed to chlorine gas at a YMCA pool in Simi Valley.

Six adults and 41 children were in the pool area when the maintenance accident occurred shortly before 2 p.m., said Battalion Chief Kevin Nestor, who oversees Ventura County fire stations in Simi Valley and Moorpark. Staff members of the YMCA, in the 3200 block of Cochran Street, had evacuated the pool area before fire personnel arrived.

Nestor said YMCA staff members were conducting routine maintenance when chlorine and acid used to clean the pool were mistakenly mixed together and released into the water.

“The equipment was down, they were working on the pipes,” Nestor said. “When they fired the pump back up, that mixture was injected into the pool and the gas bubbled up to the surface.”

Nineteen people complained of eye, ear or throat irritation or difficulty breathing. A 10-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy were taken to Simi Valley Hospital for treatment and later released.