6 injured after HVAC system collapses into busy Colorado resort pool
Six people were injured, two with life threatening injuries, after a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system collapsed into a resort pool in Aurora, Colorado on Saturday, officials said.
Aurora Fire Rescue units were dispatched around 9:50 a.m. local time to the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center near the Denver International Airport when multiple people called about the collapse, AFR said in a news release.
Agency spokeswoman Sherri-Jo Stowell said the HVAC system, which was mounted on the ceiling, covered nearly the entire area of the pool.
Officials estimated there were around 50 to 100 people in the pool when the incident occurred, AFR said.
Stowell said some of the victims suffered penetrating wounds and cuts and others had “injuries consistent with being crushed.”
Eight firefighters were already conducting training exercises at the property, which prompted a quick response to the incident, authorities said in the release. Responders transported all six victims to local hospitals.
"We are devastated by this traumatic incident,” the Gaylord Rockies resort told Paste BN. “Moving forward, we are focused on helping our affected guests and associates, and we are working with the appropriate experts to conduct a thorough investigation.”
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Large metal ductwork crashes down
Jenn Spykerman, a guest at the resort, told Denver7 that her son was in the pool when a large metal ductwork came crashing down and barely missed him.
"I see like this stuff leaking from the big metal pipes. And then all of a sudden it comes falling," Spykerman’s son Trevor told the outlet.
"It makes me wonder if I should let him ever go anywhere without me ever again," Spykerman said.
Paste BN reached out to area hospitals for additional information
Contributing: The Associated Press