10 athletes, coaches affected by fumes in Koronadal fire are now out of danger

Koronadal City (Wikipedia maps)

KORONADAL CITY –The 10 athletes and coaches downed by fumes from a fire that hit the chlorine store room of the South Cotabato Sports complex here on Thursday were now in stable condition, an official said Friday.

The athletes were practicing when the fire broke out at 5:30 p.m. and sent poisonous smoke all over the building.

They were rushed to the South Cotabato provincial hospital, according to Herson Avance, the Sports Complex officer-in-charge.

“But they are already out of the hospital as of Friday afternoon,” Avance said of the athletes, who complained of abdominal pain, nausea and difficulty in breathing, when they accidentally inhaled the smoke emanating from under the grandstand.

Avance, citing initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-Koronadal), said the fire erupted at the storage room for chlorine used for cleaning and disinfecting the Sports Complex’s swimming pool.

The stock room was under the bleachers where the students rested with their coaches after undergoing swimming practice as part of their preparation for this year’s SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Athletic Association (SRAA) meet, which the province was hosting. /jpv