CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Around 6:30 Wednesday night readings showed a dangerous amount of carbon monoxide in the air, resulting in the Holiday Twin Rinks being evacuated.
Still one parent tells News 4 that his team practiced here 24 hours before, experiencing the same symptoms, not thinking much of it until Wednesday’s news.
“My son slept well past 10 a.m. the next day, so it’s really scary. Looking back on what happened, we really didn’t know, and we just wouldn’t have pushed our players as hard if we knew that there was carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Southtown Stars coach Frank Bogulski.
Not only was his son experiencing symptoms on Tuesday, but that night Frank’s resting heart rate was 100, it normally sits at 60.
The next day upon hearing the news of the rink’s evacuation, the dots connected, and he headed to the ER.
Carbon monoxide build-up at Cheektowaga ice rink led to dozens seeking treatment
“My son and I did go to the Mercy Ambulatory Care Center, which was wonderful. They saw us quickly tested our blood and found we did have elevated carbon monoxide, even though it was the next day, and my heart rate was still elevated we were okay thankfully,” continued Bogulski.
The visit to medical professionals also had another benefit of calming his son’s nerves through the scary situation.
” I just felt more scared than anything. Today, I feel way better. I think that’s also the fact that I got blood work done and just made sure that I was okay,” said Jack Bogulski.
In total, over 100 people sought hospital treatment from various hospitals according to Cheektowaga police. The rink initially planned to re-open Thursday but held off until Friday to ensure there are no other issues.
A step Frank says makes him and his family feel safe to lace up the skates at Holiday Twin Rinks again.
“My advice to my team would be to make sure that we have assurances from not only the owners of the arena and the managers of the arena, but also our public officials and fire departments,” concluded Bogulski.
News 4 has reached out to Holiday Twin Rinks for comment and has not yet heard back.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.