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Fernie Memorial Arena is shown in Fernie, B.C., on Oct.18, 2017.Lauren Krugel/The Canadian Press

More than 24 hours after three people were discovered dead after an ammonia leak, levels of the colourless gas were still too high for RCMP investigators to enter a local hockey arena and close to 60 nearby residents of a small southeastern B.C. community remained evacuated.

Late Wednesday, police and other authorities finally entered the arena in Fernie, but no details of the investigation were available yet.

Even though the chemical is used as a cooling agent in more than half of Canada's 2,500 indoor ice rinks, Tuesday's incident in Fernie is the country's first fatal leak and safety codes and training standards ensure the vast majority of ammonia used in these rinks is handled properly, according to Daniel Giguère, refrigeration and heat pump expert with the federal Department of Natural Resources.

Mr. Giguère said accidents do take place, but the department did not have hard data on the issue. A report released from watchdog Technical Safety BC found that of the 50 refrigerant incidents documented between 2007 and 2015, 40 involved systems containing ammonia. The report found, however, that only 10 of those incidents resulted in injuries.

"Ammonia is something that we've used since the beginning of refrigeration in ice rinks," said Mr. Giguère, who has been studying refrigeration with the agency for more than 25 years. "If we had that kind of issue, this would not be used."

"They use it because it is something reliable."

That was no comfort to the skiing community's 6,000 residents on Wednesday, after news filtered out that two municipal employees and a refrigeration specialist from Calgary had been killed at the city-owned arena on Tuesday and the neighbourhood – including a seniors care facility – remained evacuated.

Mayor Mary Giuliano said the incident has hit her East Kootenay community hard.

A red sign with a black heart was set up outside the arena facing the main highway that passes through Fernie. On it in white letters was written: "Remembering the lives lost. Fernie Arena. October 17, 2017." Two flower bouquets lay nearby.

A block behind the arena, streets were cordoned off with police tape and barricades while a group of police officers gathered nearby.

Premier John Horgan and Labour Minister Harry Bains issued a joint statement, saying they "were saddened to learn of three workplace fatalities."

"This is a tragic situation. Families and friends are grieving, and our hearts are with them," they said.

Fernie Memorial Arena, like the majority of rinks, is equipped with an ammonia alarm to warn workers of dangerous levels of the gas, city spokesperson Liz Rhodes told The Globe and Mail late Wednesday afternoon.

But it is unclear whether the safeguards failed. RCMP investigators were able to enter the arena safely only Wednesday evening and still must analyze the scene and conduct interviews before they can determine whether anything criminal contributed to the incident.

If it is deemed an accident, the investigation will be handed off to the BC Coroners Service. WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Environment Ministry and the Interior Health Authority were also on site Wednesday.

Local fire crews responded shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday to reports of an ammonia leak at the arena and arrived to find someone performing CPR on a man outside, Ms. Rhodes said. Firefighters then entered the building and found the two other men dead, but had to leave soon after because of the safety risk, she said.

Paul Jewer, executive vice-president of Toromont, the parent company of the firm whose technician died, called the incident "highly, highly unusual."

Mr. Jewer said his company, which services roughly 70 per cent of the rinks in North America, had picked up the service contract for the Fernie arena a year ago. He said the technician had been called out for some routine service work and had been at the rink for a couple of hours before the incident occurred.

"Obviously something terrible had happened, but this point in time we have no idea," Mr. Jewer told The Globe. "It's been a devastating day for this organization."

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.

Ms. Giuliano said that the local junior hockey team regularly draws close to a thousand spectators for home games.

"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,' " she said.

Ammonia is commonly used in mechanical refrigeration systems in its liquid form, but it becomes a gas once it is released into the air. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety says ammonia is toxic if inhaled, causing coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and tightness in the chest. Extremely high concentrations of the chemical can be immediately fatal.

Mr. Giguère, the federal researcher, said ammonia has become more popular at ice rinks as some of the most common coolants have fallen out of favour over time due to their environmental risks.

John Milton, chief administrative officer with the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, said the Fernie incident highlights the need for arena operators to be vigilant about safety protocols, particularly in older buildings.

"It will have repercussions for our industry as a reminder that the potential for this kind of incident can happen in any of Canada's roughly 2,500 arenas that exist," he said, adding that ammonia can be used safely with proper training and urging workers to remain diligent about safety practices at all times.

Local authorities instituted a seven-day state of emergency Tuesday evening to help those evacuated from their homes.

With reports from The Canadian Press

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