Five children hospitalized after chlorine release at Tampa pool store

Five children were sickened at a pool store north of Tampa on Monday after a cloud of chlorine was released, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

The owner of Calypso Pools on Bearss Avenue told investigators that a thunderstorm caused the breaker at his store to shut off one of two pumps. That caused the pump that circulates the water in an indoor pool to stop working.

Meanwhile, a pump that infuses chlorine and muriatic acid into the pool kept working, with the result being that the chemicals stayed trapped in a pipe. When the power came back on, those chemicals were released, causing the chlorine cloud, the owner told investigators.

Five children complained of stomach discomfort and nausea and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Rescue workers ventilated the building and ensured that the chemical balance was restored to the pool. No other information was immediately available.