The Woonsocket YMCA was evacuated Tuesday after investigators with the Woonsocket Fire Department’s hazardous materials division were called in just after 11 a.m. to investigate a chlorine leak in the building.
A hazmat assessment team followed by a full hazmat team of approximately 15 to 20 firefighters responded to the Federal Street building to locate the source of the leak, which was believed to be in the system that automatically pumps chlorine into the facility’s indoor, six-lane swimming pool.
The leak was contained to the filtration room, but the acrid smell of chlorine permeated the entire building, prompting YMCA staff to evacuate the facility and call the fire department, said Woonsocket YMCA branch operations director Jim Stewart.
Crews in white hazmat suits spent most of yesterday afternoon examining the chlorination system for the pool and ventilating the building. A crew with the North Providence decontamination team was also on hand to conduct field decontamination procedures.
“We use liquid chlorine to filter and disinfect the pools. The chlorine line goes into the injector and water is returned from the filter and we think it was that line that may have burst,” said Stewart, who was at the scene along with YMCA of Pawtucket CEO Charles R. Clifford.