A 7-year-old girl's birthday party was nearly ruined when she and all of her guests got sick after possible over exposure to a chemical while swimming in a pool at a campground in Old Mystic on Tuesday.
Posted: Jul 13, 2016 7:25 AM EST Updated: Jul 13, 2016 10:54 PM EST
By Rob Polansky
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor
Crews will test the water at a campground where nine people got sick after going for a swim.
People were swimming at a pool at the Seaport RV Resort at 45 Camp Ground Road in Mystic, CT when nine people came down with symptoms, Old Mystic Fire Chief Ken Richards Jr. said.
However, a Stonington police officer stepped up and saved the day with a remarkable act of kindness.
"We got dispatched for some difficulty breathing for some children that had been involved in a pool incident," Officer Kristy Murray said.
Nine people, including eight children, became sick on Tuesday after going for a swim in the pool at the Seaport RV Resort on Campground Road. Six of those children required hospitalization. Eight children were between the ages of three and 13.
"They're scared they're overwhelmed and you just want to make it a comforting environment for them," Murray said.
None of the injuries were believed to be serious, according to firefighters.
Fire officials said it may have been the result of chemical exposure. Symptoms included itchy throats, vomiting and dizziness.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said after water and air testing by DEEP and Old Mystic Fire Department, a cause of Tuesday's reaction was undetermined. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
It said the problem may have been because the pool filtration system kicked on and a chemical buildup occurred within the pipes.
The campground was closed the pool after the incident. The pool will remain closed until Thursday, at which time the pool service company and installer will inspect the pool.
Officers learned that 7-year-old Aurora, who was one of the victims, was celebrating a birthday here before she got sick.
"All of us got together and started singing happy birthday to her and she started to perk up a little," Murray said. "She started to kind of like forget about the excitement of you will that was going on."
Even after singing happy birthday, Murray wanted to do more for Aurora.
"I needed to have her birthday not be memorable in a bad way," Murray said. "I wanted it to be memorable in a good way."
Murray slipped away to a nearby store and came back with birthday cake and balloons. Aurora's grandmother captured the heartwarming moment.
"I just wanted to give her a hug and wish her a happy birthday and hope that she could take away a good ending to a bad situation," Murray said.
The act of kindness meant everything to Aurora and her family. They immediately sent Eyewitness News the video and the station posted it on social media. The response was overwhelming.
"After the incident happened and I was on my way back to the station all of a sudden my cell phone starts going haywire people are thanking me and your doing a good job," Murray said. "And I had no idea what they were talking about."
Murray became emotional once she realized what Aurora's family had done. She said it's a moment she will always remember.
"This is a very thankless job we don't often get thanked," Murray said. "So when people do things like this it means the world to us."
The business has not released a comment on the incident.
Copyright 2016 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
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OLD MYSTIC, CT (WFSB) -
Crews will test the water at a campground where nine people got sick after going for a swim.
People were swimming at a pool at the Seaport RV Resort on Campground Road when nine people came down with symptoms, Old Mystic Fire Chief Ken Richards Jr. said.
Six of them were sent to hospital after possible chemical exposure while swimming in a pool at a campground in Old Mystic on Tuesday afternoon.
Those symptoms included itchy throats, vomiting and dizziness.
Six people were rushed to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, the fire chief said. Three people were treated at the scene and refused to be transported to the hospital. Eight of the victims are children between the ages of 3 and 13.
None of the symptoms are considered to be life threatening.
The fire chief said these people could have been exposed to chemicals while in the water.
Campground Road was closed due to the police investigation. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assisted in the investigation, and said
Firefighters tested the water shortly after they arrived and didn't discover any issues, but DEEP performed further tests.
DEEP officials said "staff did not detect any gaseous odors or any obvious issues with the water in the pool and have now cleared the scene."
The pool at Seaport RV Resort was closed for the investigation.
It will only reopen on Wednesday if the water is deemed safe.
Copyright 2016 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.