Acid spill sickens 10 children at Fargo hotel

FARGO – The Fargo Fire Department says about 10 children became sick after being exposed to a mixture of acids at the south Fargo hotel.

It happened at the La Quinta Inn & Suites just after 9:30.

One child was taken to the hospital for observation.

The others declined medical treatment after getting some fresh air.

The children complained of coughing, airway irritation, nausea and vomiting.

Investigators say the exposure happened in the pool area.

“Someone was doing maintenance on the pool and spilled some of the acid and mixed with a second acid that is also used for the same thing and that caused a gaseous cloud,” explained Battalion Chief Dane Carley.

Carley said the acids are commonly used for private and commercial pools.

“The pools use the chlorine to clean the water, and then they use acids to balance the PH, it’s muriatic acid that is commonly used to balance the PH in the pool, and if you go to a pool supply store you will see it in one gallon containers,” explained Carley.

Firefighters and a Hazmat team worked for more than an hour to air out the pool area before giving the all clear.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia and attended college at Lyndon State College in northern Vermont, where he was recognized twice nationally, including first place, by the National Academy for Arts and Science for television production. Matt enjoys being a voice for the little guy. He focuses on crimes and courts and investigative stories. Just as often, he shares tear-jerking stories and stories of accomplishment. Matt enjoys traveling to small towns across North Dakota and Minnesota to share their stories. He can be reached at mhenson@wday.com and at 610-639-9215. When he’s not at work (rare) Matt resides in Moorhead and enjoys spending time with his daughter, golfing and attending Bison and Sioux games.