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Northern Michigan Hotels Make Changes After Niles Pool Tragedy

  A downstate tragedy creating change in Northern Michigan, after a carbon monoxide leak at a hotel pool killed a teenager.    

Investigators believe the pool heater at the Quality Inn in Niles malfunctioned and caused the leak.

They also say there were no carbon monoxide detectors in the area.

Employees found 6 children near the pool, which is fully enclosed.

Another victim was passed out in her room. 

Bryan Watts was just 13 years old — he died on the way to the hospital.

Inside the All Seasons Hotel and Resort in Kalkaska, workers were busy installing brand new carbon monoxide detectors in their pool area.

General Manager Tim Ellis says they already had them near the pool heater and some plug in devices around the pool.

“We want to be as safe as we can. That story was like a wow story, and that is just absolutely tragic and as soon as I saw the coverage I started thinking, we have them, but do we have them in the right spot, and so we went out and we purchased them right away,” said Ellis.  

They’re all moves aimed at preventing another tragedy like the one in Niles.

Ellis says sometimes the pool area can be overlooked at hotels.

“It was a wake-up call, definitely was for me, and I’m sure it was for everyone else. I’m sure I’m not the only one that went out and purchased different detector. We don’t take that lightly, nor should anyone else,” said Ellis.

Evergreen resort in Cadillac takes similar precautions, making sure the pool heating room has proper ventilation and a working CO detector.

They also perform regular inspections.

“All of our air from combustion comes from outside so there’s no vents on the door, so that helps a lot with any problem,” said Maintenance Supervisor Doug Lynch.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the heater to malfunction at the pool in Niles. 

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