Carbon Monoxide Leak at Hotel Pool Kills Teenage Boy

A carbon monoxide leak at an indoor pool at a southern Michigan hotel left one teenager dead and about a dozen people hospitalized, the Associated Press reported.

Those affected were taken to local hospitals near Niles, Mich., and a 13-year-old boy died en route to one of them. Police confirmed the boy was Bryan Douglas Watts, who was from Niles.

Six patients — which include five children — are still hospitalized but are in good condition.

Employees at Quality Inn & Suites in Niles, Mich., found six unresponsive children on the deck of the hotel’s indoor pool on Saturday morning. They also found another unresponsive child in a hotel room.

When police arrived at the hotel Saturday, carbon monoxide levels were at 800 parts per million in the pool — 16 times the safety limit, NBC News reported.

Niles Fire Capt. Don Wise told reporters the carbon monoxide leak happened as a result of ventilation issues from the hotel’s pool heater. Niles Police Chief James Millin said he could not speak to how the hotel will take steps to prevent future incidents, but hopes they install carbon monoxide detectors throughout the building.

Wise told WNDU this incident was one of the worst he’s seen in his 30-year career.

“To have six youths… that just takes it into a whole different category,” he said. “I hope I never have one of these again.”

Spokespeople for the Niles Fire Department, the Quality Inn & Suites and Lakeland Health Hospital have not responded to request for comment.