Grand opening of Texas waterpark descends into chaos as 16 workers are hospitalized in hazmat incident

The incident occurred in an isolated building separate from the hotel and waterpark, city officials said

Improperly mixed chemicals causes a hazardous chemical reaction at the Great Wolf Lodge resort in Webster, Texas (Great Wolf Lodge)

More than a dozen waterpark resort workers in Webster, Texas were rushed to a hospital after “improperly mixed pool chemicals” caused a hazardous chemical reaction, interrupting the celebration of its grand opening.

On Tuesday, the opening day of the Great Wolf Lodge in Webster, a third-party contractor at the resort improperly mixed pool chemicals, causing a chemical reaction, prompting 16 employees and contractors working “in the immediate area” to be transported to hospitals, city officials said.

The Webster Fire Chief Dean Spencer told the Chron that a contractor had mixed sodium hypochlorite and sulfuric acid — two “unlike” chemicals.

The incident occurred in an isolated building separate from the hotel and waterpark, officials added. The Webster Fire Department “isolated the tanks, monitored the area, and confirmed no chemicals were detected in the hotel or waterpark.”

“The situation was quickly contained and will not affect the Lodge’s operations today,” city officials said. “An environmental company is working with Great Wolf Lodge and the contractor to clean the tanks safely.”

A Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson told The Independent in a statement that all workers taken to the hospital were released on Wednesday.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and pack members is always our primary focus,” the spokesperson continued. “We want to again express our gratitude to the Webster Fire Department for their quick action, which provided a positive outcome to the situation. We also appreciate their thorough review of our facility prior to providing the all-clear for us to proceed with the opening of our resort yesterday.”

The Webster resort marks the waterpark chain’s 22nd location in North America and the second in Texas.

The new resort boasts 532 rooms and features a 95,000 square-foot indoor water park and a 58,000 square-foot Great Wolf Adventure Park, according to its website.