CHILD CAUGHT BY HAIR IN SPA; GIRL REVIVED BY NEIGHBORS.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer

An 11-year-old girl was listed in serious condition Sunday after nearly drowning when her long hair became caught in the powerful suction of a hot tub drain.

The girl, whose name was not released, was being treated at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for respiratory distress and water in the lungs, said Brian Humphrey, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

Humphrey said adults at a home in the 20200 block of Runnymede Street managed to pull the girl out of the hot tub, where she had become trapped under water for several minutes before 2:30 p.m.

``You have to respect the tremendous power of some spas,'' Humphrey said. ``This reinforces the lesson that you should never swim or use a spa alone.''

The girl was unconscious and not breathing when she was rescued, but she regained consciousness after people in the neighborhood administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Humphrey said.

When paramedics arrived, the girl's breathing was labored, but she appeared to have suffered no neurological damage from the accident, Humphrey said.

A Fire Department helicopter landed at a nearby middle school to airlift the girl to the hospital, where she remained in serious but stable condition Sunday night.

Humphrey said near-drownings occur periodically when bathers fail to realize how powerful the suction of some hot tubs can be.