NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Thirteen people were hospitalized with breathing trouble after they were accidentally exposed to a “hazardous” mixture of chemicals inside a Westchester County YMCA on Monday, authorities said.
Emergency personnel responded to the New Rochelle YMCA on Weyman Avenue around 7:14 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that several people were experiencing “respiratory distress,” New Rochelle police said in a press release.
Emergency responders transported 13 people to nearby hospitals, police said. A preliminary investigation determined that maintenance staff at the YMCA may have accidentally mixed two cleaning chemicals, creating a “hazardous condition,” according to police.
“There was chlorine for the pool, and also hydrochloric acid that got mixed together,” New Rochelle Fire Chief Andy Sandor said. “We’re thinking it was human error. One small container, one large container kind of thing.”
The chemical reaction resulted in a “vapor cloud” that several employees and patrons ingested, he explained.
“So folks were working out, they’re hanging out at the Y, they get overcome, so they have respiratory injuries, they have skin injuries,” Sandor said. “[Firefighters] got all suited up, and went ahead in and got the folks out.”
All 13 people who were affected were conscious when they were hospitalized, he noted.
A witness, Adam Holmes, told CBS2 he was working out when the incident happened.
“I was on a stationary bike, and multiple people came running out choking, coughing,” he said.
The YMCA used large fans to ventilate the space after the incident. Firefighters who responded had to be scrubbed down and decontaminated.
An investigation is ongoing.
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