2 boys rescued from abandoned pool; 1 in critical condition

Updated: 10:00 a.m. | Posted: 5:42 a.m.

A young boy is in critical condition after he and his older brother were pulled from an abandoned swimming pool filled with 6 feet of dirty water outside a St. Paul apartment building.

St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said firefighters were called to the 1200 block of Arundel Street at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday.

The older boy saw his brother struggling in the pool and got in to save him, but also found himself in trouble, Zaccard said.

Firefighters called to the scene couldn't see the boys in the murky water. They jumped into the pool and found the boys after searching with their feet.

Zaccard said the boys, both under the age of 10, were taken to Gillette Children's hospital in St. Paul. He said the older boy is expected to recover, but the younger boy was in critical condition.

The pool was located behind an apartment complex. There was a 5-foot fence and locked gate around the pool, Zaccard said. The children were able to either climb over or crawl under the fence.

"Parents should remind their children that if there's a fence and a locked gate, it means stay out," Zaccard said. "If there's a warning sign, it's for your own good. Don't be going where you shouldn't be, because it is dangerous."

Zaccard said the building's owner told police that he had planned to fill the pool in and turn it into a playground, although it had been abandoned since he bought it two years ago. Some neighbors told firefighters that it had been abandoned for the last decade.

A call to the building's owner was not immediately returned.

The St. Paul Fire Department wants to be notified if there are other abandoned pools or similar structures elsewhere in the city that could present a danger to children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.