A chemical accident at a Dublin hotel swimming pool has left a dozen child swimmers requiring urgent medical care, after toxic fumes leaked into the facility during scheduled swimming lessons on Thursday. The incident unfolded at the Clayton Hotel Liffey Valley, where contaminated air forced the evacuation of the site and prompted an emergency response from multiple fire brigades across the Irish capital.
After assessing the scene, Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) chief fire officer Greg O’Dwyer confirmed the contamination stemmed from an error in the pool’s mechanical plant room: an overmixing of chlorine and a second un specified chemical that released hazardous fumes into the surrounding area. At the time of the incident, 24 children were participating in swimming lessons at the pool, alongside several parents who were present to observe the sessions, O’Dwyer added.
Irish national public broadcaster RTÉ reported that multiple affected children were experiencing respiratory distress and irritation following exposure to the fumes. In total, 12 children and one adult were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment after the incident.
In an official statement released after the response, DFB confirmed that emergency units were dispatched from fire stations across Dublin City, including locations in Tallaght, Dolphins Barn, Donnybrook and Dun Laoghaire. Specialist hazardous material (HazMat) response teams from Donnybrook and Dun Laoghaire were also called to the scene to handle the chemical hazard. Responders wearing fully protective gas-tight suits entered the contaminated plant room to isolate the improperly mixed chemicals, and crews established a dedicated decontamination zone to treat anyone exposed before transport to medical facilities.
DFB officials emphasized that the hazard was contained quickly, and there was no continued risk to the broader public in the surrounding area of Liffey Valley. When contacted by BBC News NI for comment on the incident and its aftermath, representatives for the Clayton Hotel declined to provide any statement.