OCEAN VIEW, Del. - A hazardous materials situation prompted a large emergency response in Ocean View Monday afternoon after pool chemicals were mistakenly transferred into the wrong containers.
According to the Millville Fire Company, the call came in around 12:35 p.m. and involved a person handling pool chemicals who ended up putting the chemicals into the wrong containers at the Cedar Shores Community Pool. DNREC says two gallons of chlorine were inadvertently mixed with 50 gallons of muriatic acid creating a chlorine gas that began spread around the pool and to neighboring homes.
People nearby were evacuated as a precaution, but the only person reported to be hurt was the individual managing the chemicals. First responders said the person handling the materials was taken to a nearby hospital for respiratory issues.
CoastTV spoke with Gary Caunitis, with the Millville Fire Company, at the scene. “There was no exothermic response or anything like that to the chemicals. So it was fairly well controlled. We’re going to do spot checks on the area before we clear. But until that time, there’s no imminent danger at this point.”
As of 4 p.m., the DNREC Emergency Response Team was not detecting chlorine gas in the pool equipment building where the incident originated and the same for residences closest to the community pool. Then it was determined that no further actions needed to be taken. The scene was cleared by all responding agencies after nearly four hours.