Chemical leak in kiddie pool sickens dozens at Hurricane Harbor water park in Texas

HAZMAT crews rushed to a Texas water park after a chemical leak in the kiddie pool left dozens itching all over and struggling to breathe on Saturday.

The sight of so many sickened at once terrified parents and children visiting Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, who had no idea what was happening to them. The park is near Houston.

“I thought it was a terrorist attack; it felt like we got gassed,” father Steven Morris told KPRC.

His daughter, Lia, began crying, coughing and vomiting, and her eyes “swelled up,” she told the station.

Harris County fire officials said over 60 people were exposed to the chemicals, which they believe “involved hypochlorite solution and 35% sulfuric acid.”

About 30 people were taken to a hospital for treatment, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.

The Spring, Texas, water park -- which is about 10 miles north of Houston -- has been shut down for the time being, officials said. The cause of the chemical leak is under investigation.

According to fire officials, the leak only impacted one section of the park.

No chemicals were found in the air “in the surrounding area,” according to officials.

Harris County Public Health authorities are testing the park’s water and pool systems to figure out what went wrong.

This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Chemical leak in kiddie pool sickens dozens at Hurricane Harbor water park in Texas."