Children Among the Ill at Motel Pool

Scare began when 2-year-old was found unconscious, possibly from carbon monoxide
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2022 10:05 AM CST
Carbon Monoxide Suspected in Illnesses at Motel Pool
People are transported to hospitals from the Hampton Inn in Marysville, Ohio, after becoming ill in the pool area.   (Holly Zachariah/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Ohio officials suspect carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of a rash of illnesses at a motel pool that sent more than a dozen people to hospitals. The first case reported was that of a 2-year-old girl who was unconscious at the pool Saturday afternoon, the Columbus Dispatch reports. More reports about people in distress in the pool area at the Hampton Inn in Marysville began coming in, said Fire Chief Jay Riley. Some of them were unconscious, Police Chief Tony Brooks told CNN, while "others described symptoms such as dizziness and a burning in their throat."

The origin of the carbon monoxide wasn't clear and is being investigated, per Fox News. The hotel was evacuated, and possible sources of the leak were shut off. "We did have life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide in the pool area of the hotel," Riley said in an email. The odorless and colorless gas can be fatal quickly. The number of people affected wasn't clear, but Brooks counted nine people taken to hospitals and four others who went on their own. (More carbon monoxide stories.)

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