Bodies removed from B.C. arena following ammonia leak, evacuation order persists

Flag of Fernie (Photo By The Tom at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

FERNIE, B.C. — One of the three men who died following an ammonia leak at an ice rink in southeastern British Columbia has been identified as Lloyd Smith, an off-duty part time paramedic.

BC Emergency Health Services said in a statement Thursday that Smith, who began his career as a paramedic with the agency in 1996, was working “at his other job with the City of Fernie when he died.”

The agency says Smith worked in the East Kootenay area for more than 15 years.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s wife, Laureen, tweeted Thursday night that Smith was a childhood friend who taught her how to drive a Zamboni ice-clearing machine at a rink in High River, Alta.

It was not immediately known if Smith was one of two men whose bodies had been removed from the Fernie arena as authorities try to piece together a timeline leading up to the deadly incident.

Norm McInnis, chief administrative officer with the City of Fernie, said an alarm went off at the local arena around 4 a.m. Tuesday, prompting the municipality to shut down the rink and call in a specialist for emergency maintenance.

Shortly before 1 p.m. emergency crews responded to a 911 call and arrived to find someone providing CPR to a person outside the building.

“We all have questions as to what happened,” McInnis told reporters Thursday. “Something went terribly wrong.”

Fire Chief Ted Ruiter said response crews originally entered the facility Tuesday afternoon and discovered two bodies, but left for safety reasons after performing an interior search.

Emergency responders were able to re-enter the building and recover the bodies around 11 p.m. Wednesday, Ruiter added.

An evacuation order will remain in place until at least Friday while crews investigate whether there is any lingering danger, he said. A statement from the city on Thursday said about 95 displaced residents are being put up in a hotel.

“Getting the evacuated residents home remains our top priority, but we need to make sure that we get them home safely,” Ruiter said.

Two of the men who died were city employees. McInnis said the municipality will shut down its operations Friday to give staff time to grieve.gwo

A spokesman for the parent company of refrigeration business CIMCO confirmed the third victim worked for their Calgary branch.

A city spokesperson, the fire chief and an RCMP sergeant declined to answer questions at a news conference on Thursday about the incident. No questions were taken at media briefings on Wednesday as well, citing a request from the RCMP.

Twyla Sevinski, a lifelong Fernie resident, said people in the community have been shaken by the tragedy. She recalled coming across a chaotic scene Tuesday afternoon as a flurry of fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the arena.

“There was a lot of fear around town,” she said Wednesday. “It’s a lot to take in all at one time. I just hope that everybody can get through this.”’

Sevinski said her eight-year-old daughter loves to skate at the arena and her 14-year-old son has spent many hours on the ice playing hockey.

“What if other people were in there when this happened? It could have impacted a lot more people, children. It’s scary,” she said.

Sevinski said the event has stirred up memories of another tragic event that shook the community nine years ago.

Her brother in law was one of eight snowmobilers killed in a series of avalanches in the rugged southeastern B.C. backcountry in December of 2008 and her cousin was one of the survivors.

“We’ve had some serious tragedies go on here and we just try and support each other to get through it,” she said.

Ammonia is commonly used in mechanical refrigeration systems, including those found in ice rinks. It is used in liquid form but becomes a gas once it is released into the air.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety says ammonia is a colourless gas that is toxic if inhaled.