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Seven people were admitted to a local hospital on Saturday, January 7, after a geothermal pool’s roof collapsed at Owyhee County’s Givens Hot Springs in the state of Idaho. The Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office reported that there wasn’t any snow in the pool area when the incident took place at around 1.45 pm, with several people present. They suspect the roof might have collapsed due to structural issues.
As per the county sheriff’s report, initially, the ground ambulance present at the pool transported six people to local hospitals. Another person was later taken to the hospital via a private vehicle.
The injured people were aged between nine and 70 years of age, and they suffered wounds to their arms, legs, shoulders, and heads, and also had lacerations. However, the seven were still conscious and in stable condition when they were admitted to the hospital.
According to witnesses, 15 to 20 bathers were in the pool at Givens Hot Springs when the roof fell on them on Saturday. Some people, who got out of the pool before the accident, heard the loud sound of the collapse.
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The Given Hot Springs is a privately owned recreation facility, consisting of an indoor geothermal pool, an event center, and a camping area situated at about a half-hour distance from Boise.
After the collapse on Saturday, its website said:
“Due to a structural issue, we are closed at present. Please check back on this site for future updates. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Eyewitnesses and survivors describe the events that took place at the Givens Hot Springs
A few families who got out of the accident at the Givens Hot Springs safe or suffered mild injuries spoke about the incident. A couple, Nicole Caffrey and Derrick Gullion were at the location with their 2-year-old daughter. Gullion said that when they were swimming in the pool, they started noticing little wood chunks in the water. So, they were pulling them out.
When they looked up at the ceiling, all the joists on the roof looked like they were about to disintegrate and fall apart. Pieces kept falling from the roof and the couple felt unsafe. So they left the pool, trusting their instincts. Caffrey and Gullion heard the roof crash while they were in the changing room.
As per KTVB7, Caffrey said:
“It literally felt like an earthquake just right behind my back. It just – just rambling, and all I could think about was all the people in the water, and [Gullion] and my daughter."
The couple stated that they and their daughter were uninjured. They covered their young one’s eyes so she would not get traumatized on witnessing the collapse.
Gullion shared that his first instinct was to grab their daughter and get the family somewhere safe. He added:
"But what I saw when everything came down is pretty much everybody just disappeared underneath all the rubble. Obviously there was a lot of people hollering and screaming and scrambling everywhere. Everybody's getting out of the pool. People are getting out injured. People are bleeding."
Another bather, Sarah Wilson, also went to Givens Hot Springs with her child and her parents. She was in the changing rooms when the roof collapsed. She said she walked out of the dressing room and witnessed collateral damage.
The rubble was in the kids’ pool, she said. Wilson saw everyone climbing out of the water from under the debris. People were searching for their kids and family members. Others were calling for help from outside. Wilson praised one employee who tried her best to calm everyone down and get them organized.
However, Lee Wilson, Sarah’s dad was in the pool during the collapse. He did not get severely injured and only suffered a concussion. He was hospitalized and released later on Saturday from the ER.
Lee Wilson spoke to the publication about experiencing the collapse and said:
"I saw the first piece of wood come down from the ceiling. I heard it snap, and then the whole thing caved in. I got hit and knocked out, and I went under the water. A firefighter saved me, and my nephew pulled me out. But it was scary."
According to reports, after 911 was called by the people present at Givens Hot Springs, the first deputy arrived at the site in 11 minutes. The Murphy Reynolds Wilson Fire, Murphy Wilson Quick Response Unit, the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Marsing Ambulance Service responded to the accident at Givens Hot Springs on January 7.
Deputies from Owyhee County assisted the workers at Givens Hot Springs by evacuating the pool area, taking everyone out of the pool, and triaging the injured individuals.
The sheriff’s office commended the responding agencies and thanked them for their quick response and professionalism.
