MARSING, Idaho — Half of the wooden roof at Given Hot Springs fell into the geo thermal pool while people were soaking this past Saturday afternoon. 911 calls prompted an Owyhee County Sheriff to be among the first responders dispatched to the scene where at least seven people were injured.
Deputies assisted Murphy Reynolds Wilson Quick Response Unit and MRW Fire members in evacuating patrons and triaging patients. Injuries included head, shoulder, extremity injuries and lacerations, with patients ages ranging between 9-70. All patients were conscious at the time of transport, and they are in stable condition after a trip to the hospital.
It happen around two in the afternoon, the owners were not there at the time, but we talked with Steve and Nadine Givens on Sunday to learn more about the incident.
"We got back and there were six ambulances out here," said Steve Givens. "It shocked me."
Here's a look at the roof that collapsed on people at Givens Hot Springs, seven people were injured and had to go to the hospital. We spoke with the Givens family today. @IdahoNews6 pic.twitter.com/kAERpDb5mp
— Steve Dent (@idahodent) January 9, 2023
Steve and Nadine Givens were told that their EMT lifeguard was a hero and first responders arrived in eleven minutes. An impressive feat in this rural area, as many responders are volunteers who responded from their homes.
"Our main concern is for the people who were in there at the time, who were injured and those that were traumatized," said Nadine Givens. "The rest is replaceable, people are not."
The cause of the collapse is currently unknown, though officials speculate it could be structural in nature, as there was no snow fall nor accumulation in the area at the time of the collapse.
The roof had been upgraded as part of a larger renovation in the fall of 2018, but the couple tells us upkeep at the hot springs is difficult because of the humidity created by the 100 degree water inside a closed area.
"We did major work on this, but that humidity really does a number on the place," said Nadine.
The main building at Given Hot Springs was built in the early 50s, it's a historic place that dates back to 1881 when weary travelers used to stop along the Oregon Trail, we checked out the hot springs back in 2019.
On Sunday, the Givens family and friends spent their day cleaning debris out of the pool and they will be closed for the foreseeable future. Their next step will be to remove the remaining half of the wood roof which is covered by plastic.
"My son wants to put a metal framework up there, we will see what we can afford," said Steve.
The Givens have insurance, but at this time they are not sure what that means for the future, they plan to reopen without a roof after they get everything cleaned up.
Though they are hoping to put in a new roof due to all the leaves that will fall into the hot springs from the surrounding trees, right now they are more worried about the people who got hurt on Saturday.
"We are praying for them and we hope they recover quickly," said Nadine.
Any witnesses or patrons that were no longer at the scene upon the arrival of law enforcement are asked to contact the Owyhee County Sheriff's Office dispatch to provide contact information and report any injuries at 208-495-1154, ext. 2.
