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Friday, February 7 • 2014
Vol. 6 • Issue 64
Craig Korth will play on Family Day Page 24
Vlanich commits to join Selkirk squad Page 21
280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
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FREE CUSTOM FITTING Nelson Fire Rescue Service, BC Ambulance and public works crews were on the scene of a chemical spill behind the Hume Hotel on Wednesday morning. A container leaked Kevin Mills photo an unknown liquid onto the ally behind the hotel, forcing the business to be evacuated. Crews quickly cleaned up the area.
Six people sent to hospital as a precaution
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Hotel evacuated after spill GREG NESTEROFF Nelson Star Reporter
Nelson’s Hume Hotel was evacuated around 11:30 Wednesday morning after a “rush of heavy ammonia smell” filled the building. Fire chief Simon Grypma said his crews responded to a report of an unknown substance leaking in the lane behind the hotel. Upon arriving it was determined the vapour was escaping from a damaged cylinder in the back of a pick-up truck. The cylinder had been removed from the basement of the Redfish Grill, the Baker Street building that has been recently undergoing clean-up and repairs following a 2010 fire. The truck’s operator was told to take the cylinder to an area away from people and let it finish
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venting, Grypma said. Hume Hotel general manager Ryan Martin told the Star their HVAC unit sucked some of the fumes into the hotel. “It was very potent, very strong,” Martin said. “We initially didn’t know where it was coming from so we pulled the fire alarm and evacuated the hotel. We opened all the doors and had people wait outside for the air to clear.” Martin said Nelson police chief Wayne Holland happened to be at the hotel for lunch. Paramedics also responded and Ward Street was blocked off between Baker and Vernon. Public works crews spread sand on the street and helped clean up the chemical product on the ground. The smell dissipated and the hotel reopened
within about an hour, but two workers on the Redfish clean-up went to hospital for decontamination and evaluation along with four Hume employees. “The staff in the lower kitchen probably got the worst of it,” Martin said. “Any staff feeling symptoms have gone home, but the majority of us didn’t get it as bad.” Martin said the fire department, paramedics, and Hume staff did a good job of dealing with the situation. “You can never fully prepare for things like that.” Grypma said the incident serves as a reminder that anyone who finds items that may be hazardous should contact the fire department before dismantling or moving them. WorkSafeBC is investigating the incident.
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