There were high concentrations of a chemical similar to bleach that seeped into a pool at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip on Friday, causing hotel officials to evacuate some 1,500 guests and sending at least 26 people to local hospitals with breathing problems.

Richard Brenner of the Clark County Fire Department said sodium hypochlorite went into the hotel’s lazy river pool when a valve used to the control the chemical malfunctioned and remained on.

“People started smelling chlorine,” Brenner said. “It doesn’t take much to set our nose off.”

About 100 people had trouble breathing but did not need to go to hospitals, said Brenner, the department’s hazardous materials coordinator.

A chemical leak at the MGM Hotel is something I would not normally expect, but I will be more careful now. I hope everyone is ok.