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b.c. ammonia leak

Three people are dead after an ammonia leak at a hockey arena in Fernie, with a central part of the southeastern B.C. city evacuated late Tuesday.

A worker at the city-owned arena discovered a problem around 5 a.m. Tuesday and an outside group of refrigeration experts were then called in while the facility was closed to the public, according to Mayor Mary Giuliano.

The fire department responded to the rink around noon, she said, after three workers reportedly died from being exposed to a leak of ammonia, a colourless gas used in refrigeration systems that is toxic and potentially fatal if inhaled.

Several residential blocks surrounding the arena were then evacuated, including a senior's care home, Ms. Giuliano told The Globe and Mail.

She said it is unknown whether the victims were locals of the tight-knit community of about 6,000 people or members of the outside crew of specialists that was called in.

"I have gone down to the arena area and what I saw was an unbelievable number of emergency vehicles surrounding the entire arena with lights flashing, which was very shocking and really showed the tremendous seriousness of the situation and just how fragile life can be at times," she said.

Still, she said it was heartening to see people coming together to house their neighbours who remained evacuated from their homes near the arena Tuesday night.

"We've had a tremendous outpouring of assistance," Ms. Giuliano said.

The city's fire department had contacted WorkSafeBC about the incident and RCMP are now leading the investigation.

The city said in a news release it is working with CIMCO Refrigeration and is trying to obtain additional specialized resources to deal with the hazardous situation.

The city said the victims' next of kin have been notified, but their names were not released late Tuesday. An official press conference is planned in Fernie Wednesday, the mayor said.

In a Facebook post Tuesday morning, the city warned residents the arena would be closed while workers completed "emergency repairs" to the facility's refrigeration plant.

Adult games of drop-in shinny had been scheduled to start at 8:45 a.m. at the arena, which has been in operation for five decades.

"I hate to admit it, but the thought did cross my mind that 'I'm so glad that something like this didn't happen when the arena was full,'" said Ms. Giuliano, adding that the local junior hockey team regularly draws close to a thousand spectators for home games.

Residents who had been evacuated from their homes in the small community, renowned for its outdoor sports, were using Facebook Tuesday night to find accommodation with neighbours while posting their condolences to the families of the unknown victims.

"We care about everyone here; whether you were born and raised in Fernie, just moved here, or you are visiting on holidays. When tragedy strikes our town, like it has today, we need to come together and pray," Chris Ingy Inglis wrote.

"It's been a terrible day in the Valley, severe winds, downed power lines and trees and other assorted damage, grass fires, road closures and then to read this, just so shockingly sad," Christine Jaegli Ehrler wrote.

With a report from the Canadian Press

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