18 people hospitalized after chlorine gas leak at a Fairmont hotel

Fairmont, Montana – After an explosion on Saturday produced a leak of chlorine gas at the Fairmont Hot Springs resort, more than a dozen individuals were sent to local hospitals to be treated for exposure to the gas.

Ethan Lawson and his friends had just arrived at the resort to take advantage of the beautiful weather when they saw the staff and other guests frantically making their way out the front doors.

“We just saw all the emergency vehicles starting to come in and we were ushered away and told that there was some sort of leak,” Lawson said.

The Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department arrived on the scene to investigate the chlorine gas leak and ascertain its source as well as the location of the leak.

The explosion took place inside of a storage container that was used to keep chlorine tablets.

According to Battalion Chief Chad Silk of the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department, “there was a pressure buildup in the chlorine system and some of those chlorine pucks built up pressure and it popped the lid off the tube and that was where some of the gas escaped.”

Eighteen individuals were sent to hospitals in Anaconda and Butte, where they are now being treated and monitored by medical professionals.

The hotel lobby and the conference space were safe for guests to re-enter once the fire crew had cleared the premises.