Colorado hotel mechanical structure collapses in pool area injuring 6, officials say
Authorities said at least six people were injured at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, Colorado, on Saturday when a mechanical structure collapsed in the indoor pool area.
At 9:50 a.m. local time, the Aurora Fire Department received a call "for a structural collapse at the Gaylord in the pool area," Chief Alec Oughton said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
The fire department had people on site for training at the time, the chief said, and were able to get to the indoor pool quickly. Members of the department's Technical Rescue Team who specialize in collapsed structures were also sent to the hotel, the fire department said in a news release.
About 50 to 100 people were at the pool at the time, and it appeared that part of the HVAC system had fallen, the chief said. The fire department transported two people from the incident with critical injuries to local area hospitals, he said, and another four with non-life-threatening injuries.
Our Technical Rescue Team is enroute to the Gaylord Rockies where there is a reported collapse of mechanical equipment in the aquatics area. Injuries are reported.
— Aurora Fire Rescue (@AuroraFireDpt) May 6, 2023
A public information officer is headed to the scene. Media are asked to stay off private property. #AFRIncident pic.twitter.com/osTQ8XB4N3
A witness told CBS News Colorado someone pulled a smoke alarm and the hotel was evacuated. The witness said the equipment that collapsed onto the pool deck appeared to be a duct. The witness said they saw a child being treated on the pool deck after the collapse.
The hotel referred requests for comment to the Aurora Fire Department.