A 13-year-old Niles boy, Bryan Douglas Watts, was reported dead Saturday afternoon as a result of a carbon monoxide leak at the Quality Inn and Suites Hotel, 1265 S. 11th St., earlier that morning.

Authorities responded around 9:53 a.m. to a report of six unresponsive children in the hotel’s pool area, said Niles Fire Department Captain Don Wise.

A seventh child, who had just left the pool area and was on the first floor, was reported to have stopped breathing, according to a statement from the Niles City Police Department. Authorities were able to revive the child.

Six of the children were transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. Watts was transported to Lakeland Medical Center in Niles.

All seven children were reported to be in critical condition as they left the scene by ambulance at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Wise said.

Jessica Hines, a public relations specialist for the Lakeland Health, said Watts was dead on arrival at Lakeland’s Niles hospital.

Additional injuries were reported, including one housekeeper, who attempted to assist the children. A Berrien County sheriff’s deputy and one Niles City police officer were also reported to be experiencing overexposure to carbon monoxide.

Wise said a measurement of the pool area showed carbon monoxide levels of more than 800 parts per million, more than 16 times the safe limit, according to standards posted by OSHA, which states that 50 parts per million is safe for a healthy adult.

Wise said he was not aware of any carbon monoxide monitors in the hotel. He also said he does not believe that the monitors are required, though he said he could not confirm this information for sure.

The suspected cause of the leak is a pool heater, which was located in a closet area near the hotel’s first floor pool.

Wise said a mechanical engineer would be investigating the matter further to officially confirm if it was the source of the carbon monoxide leak.

“It takes something that produces a lot of heat to get your carbon monoxide levels up that high,” Wise said. “We feel pretty strongly that it was the heater.”

Authorities also measured carbon monoxide on the three floors of the Quality Inn and Suites. Wise said officials found the first floor measure 150 parts per million, the second floor 50 parts per million and the third floor 30 parts per million.

The effects of carbon monoxide are similar to those of the flu, Wise said.

Those impaired by the colorless, odorless, tasteless gas may experience nausea, headache or mental defects.

Authorities’ priority was to attend to the injured children, Wise said. After the children were clear of the area, Wise said they set up multiple fans and positive pressure ventilation to air out the building. Authorities across Berrien and Cass County arrived on scene to contribute air control equipment, including fire departments from Niles Township, Howard Township and Edwardsburg in Michigan and Clay Township in Indiana. The fire departments opened doors and with the use of fans quickly began ventilating the building.

Around 2:30 p.m., Wise announced that levels of carbon monoxide in the building were down to zero. Guests were allowed to go back into the hotel to gather their belongings, but they will not be allowed to stay in the hotel at this time.

Wise said that the officers who were experiencing effects from carbon monoxide were doing well. The officers were treated for overexposure to carbon monoxide and were later released from the hospital.

Further status on the other injured children has not been released at this time.