{"id":125281,"date":"2017-10-20T03:34:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T07:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=125281"},"modified":"2017-10-20T03:38:36","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T07:38:36","slug":"bodies-removed-from-b-c-arena-following-ammonia-leak-evacuation-order-persists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/10\/20\/bodies-removed-from-b-c-arena-following-ammonia-leak-evacuation-order-persists\/","title":{"rendered":"Bodies removed from B.C. arena following ammonia leak, evacuation order persists"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flag<\/a>
Flag of Fernie (Photo By The Tom at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

BC Emergency\u00a0Health\u00a0Services said in a statement Thursday that Smith, who began his career as a paramedic with the agency in 1996, was working \u201cat his other job with the City of Fernie when he died.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency says Smith worked in the East Kootenay area for more than 15 years.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have questions as to what happened,\u201d McInnis told reporters Thursday. \u201cSomething went terribly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting the evacuated residents home remains our top priority, but we need to make sure that we get them home safely,\u201d Ruiter said.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

A spokesman for the parent company of refrigeration business CIMCO confirmed the third victim worked for their Calgary branch.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of fear around town,\u201d she said Wednesday. \u201cIt’s a lot to take in all at one time. I just hope that everybody can get through this.\u201d’<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if other people were in there when this happened? It could have impacted a lot more people, children. It’s scary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sevinski said the event has stirred up memories of another tragic event that shook the community nine years ago.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve had some serious tragedies go on here and we just try and support each other to get through it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Centre for Occupational\u00a0Health\u00a0and Safety says ammonia is a colourless gas that is toxic if inhaled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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