Six people were taken to hospital after a chlorine leak inside an LA Fitness in North Brunswick, New Jersey, an incident that turned a routine morning at the gym into a hazardous materials emergency. The injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, but the leak was serious enough to force a full evacuation of the building and draw a large emergency response to the shopping center where the gym is located.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 7:30 in the morning, and according to the fire chief they immediately noticed a chlorine smell coming out of the building. Crews moved quickly to clear the premises, sending members inside in full protective gear to make sure the building had been completely evacuated before the situation could worsen. County Hazmat was called in to take over the specialised response.
Authorities said the leak appeared to have originated with a delivery of chemicals to the gym. A chemical company, Miracle Chemical of Farmingdale, had sent one of its employees, identified as 53-year-old Jonathan Ball of Willingboro, to fill up some of the tanks at the facility, including the chlorine tank that services the pool inside the LA Fitness.
According to the account given to reporters, something went wrong during that process. There was either a spill of the chlorine or a mixture of chemicals that caused a reaction, and the result was a build-up of fumes strong enough that people inside the building were overcome by the odor, prompting the calls for help that brought emergency crews rushing to the site.
The people who were hospitalized were affected by exposure to the fumes rather than any fire or explosion. Six of them were taken to hospital for treatment, with officials stressing that the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. Among those taken to hospital was the driver of the truck involved in the delivery, who was caught up in the incident along with others at the gym.
By the time the response was fully underway, officials said they had managed to bring the situation under control. The leak was described as contained, but as a precaution residents were asked to stay away from the Brunswick shopping center while hazmat crews remained on scene, working to make the area safe before anyone could return to the businesses there.
With the immediate danger contained, the focus turned to determining exactly what had gone wrong. Hazmat officials said they would continue to investigate the cause of the leak, trying to establish how the delivery of chlorine to the gym's pool system ended with fumes filling the building and half a dozen people needing hospital treatment. Authorities said they would provide updates on the conditions of those affected as more information became available.