Chlorine leak at Rocori High injures nearly 40, none seriously

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At least 37 students and one adult at Rocori High School were injured Wednesday when chlorine gas leaked from the building's pool area, Cold Spring Mayor Doug Schmitz said.

Officials at St. Cloud Hospital said they treated 33 victims. Thirteen of them - including 12 students and a gym teacher - were admitted just to make sure they were OK and being kept overnight, hospital spokeswoman Jeanine Nistler said. None were seriously ill, she said.

Schmitz said four victims were taken to a Paynesville hospital, where they were treated and released.

Jeff Kalla of Gold Cross Ambulance operations said the victims reported nausea and respiratory issues. But everyone was able to walk out of the building on his or her own.

The cause of the leak remained a mystery Wednesday evening, Rocori Public Schools Superintendent Scott Staska said. By the evening tests showed no chlorine in the air and just normal levels in the pool.

Staska said nearly 20 students were in gym class when they saw bubbles coming out of the pool drain. He explained that the water supply had been shut off for some routine work in "back in the chemical room, actually" and had just been turned back on. He said he thought the bubbles might just have been from air in the pipes. But the students began feeling sick shortly afterward.

"Quite frankly, we're at a loss to explain exactly what happened," he said.

Staska identified the staff member who was hospitalized as physical education teacher Lisa Swan-Anderson. She was listed in good condition.

Schmitz said the students were part of a ninth- and 10th-grade class. Some of the students were in the pool at the time.

Schmitz said the fire department was called about 1:40 p.m. on a report of two patients having difficulty breathing. When fire officials came upon more victims, they called other departments for assistance.

Cold Spring Fire Chief Jim Maile said firefighters set off a fire alarm to help clear the building.

The alarm sent students into the parking lot, and many at first thought it was a prank. Then they saw the emergency vehicles that started arriving.

"I got worried when I walked out, because there was a lot of ambulances and fire trucks and police," sophomore Acacia Flannigan said.

Students were directed into the nearby elementary school, where officials briefly explained the situation.

"We were really worried," junior Kaila Kellen said. "We didn't know if they were hurt."

The hazardous materials team from St. Cloud was also called to the school. By 4 p.m., all of the chlorine had been cleared and students and faculty were being allowed back into the building to retrieve personal items, Schmitz said.

School will be open as scheduled Thursday, but the pool probably will remain closed for a couple more days while custodians and others try to determine how it happened, Staska said.

"They will have someone come in and check and investigate why this happened and make sure it doesn't happen again," said Schmitz.

Officials at St. Cloud Hospital activated their disaster response team when they learned of the chemical leak, meaning doctors, security officers, and other staff members were called in.

The victims who experienced respiratory problems went through a decontamination area at the hospital where they washed down and given hospital gowns, said Thomas Schrup, the acting director of the hospital's emergency response team. From there they were taken to triage and assessed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, chlorine is a chemical used for household and industrial cleaning. The gas can damage the eyes, skin, throat or lungs. Long-term health problems are unlikely.

Superintendent Staska commended school workers for their response.

"We've been through tough experiences here before," he said.

Rocori High School was the site of a deadly shooting 4½ years ago. John Jason McLaughlin, who was 15 when he brought a gun to school on Sept. 24, 2003, is serving a life sentence for killing 17-year-old Aaron Rollins and 14-year-old Seth Bartell.