Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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Eight people were taken to hospital after chemicals at a Victoria pool combined to create a dangerous gas on Friday.
The city had issued a shelter-in-place order over a “hazardous material incident” at the Crystal Pool, telling anyone within 300 metres southwest of the building to stay inside with their windows shut, but the order was later lifted.
City spokeswoman Colleen Mycroft said Friday that two chemicals came into contact with each other, producing gas into the air.
A statement from B.C. Emergency Health Services says they were called around 11 a.m. on Friday.
“Paramedics assessed 10 patients and transported eight patients to hospital in stable condition,” the statement said.
The Island Health Authority said both Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital emergency departments were temporarily cleared to prepare for the arrival of patients after “a potential chemical exposure.”
“Additional staff and medical staff temporarily helped the emergency departments and suitable patients in the emergency departments were rapidly transferred to other areas of each hospital for care,” the health authority said in a statement.
“This allows care teams to properly decontaminate and care for chemical exposure patients.”
It said the hospitals did not initiate a code orange, which is used for a disaster or mass-casualty event.
“Both emergency departments remain open and available to assist anyone in need of emergency care,” the authority said.
The city lifted the shelter-in-place order at 3 p.m. on Friday, saying there was no longer a risk.
Mycroft said the investigation is ongoing into what the chemicals were and how they were mixed.
She said the facility has been evacuated and a hazardous material team was brought in.
The city said the pool and fitness centre will be closed until Tuesday.
— With files by Marissa Birnie and Chuck Chiang
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2026.
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
