CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Dozens of children were checked out by emergency crews or taken to local hospitals after some type of chemical leak/HAZMAT incident at a Chesterfield pool, according to Chesterfield Fire and EMS officials.
Multiple emergency crews were called to the 8600 block of Pullman Lane, in the Harpers Mill neighborhood, off Otterdale Road at about 11 a.m. after reports of a weird smell in the pool.
Four children and one adult were transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to Lt. Kenny Mitchell with Chesterfield County Fire and EMS. Eleven more kids were taken to local hospitals by their parents or guardians.
An additional 25 to 30 kids were checked out on the scene by emergency crews.
None of the reported injuries are life-threatening, officials said.
They are still working to find out what chemical caused the incident and how it got there, but Mitchell said it was a pool chemical.
"We were just at the pool. [Her son] was swimming in the deep end and my daughter and I were having a snack on the chairs. And there was just a big surge of everybody jumping out of the pool and coughing and gagging and just a smell of, you know, chemical," Libbie Reeves, who was at the pool with her children, said ."A lot of kids jumped out and just a strong chemical smell in the air."
"The kids were coughing and everybody was looking at each other asking what's that smell," Reeves continued.
"If I took a deep breath it would hurt my lungs and it would trigger a tickly, spiky feeling and then I would cough," Libbie's son Tyler said. "So it [was] super hard to breathe."
Emergency crews cleared Tyler after a brief examination, his mom said.
"It's kind of scary," Libbie said. "I'm nervous about the other kids that were in the pool longer and just hoping that everybody's okay."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
