A collapsed floor trapped a worker and caused a gas leak at a former North Island pulp mill on Saturday, but nobody was harmed in the incident, according to Thomas Doherty, chief of the Campbell River Fire Department.
Firefighters were dispatched to the Elk Falls pulp and paper mill site at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday following the report of a collapsed building with a person trapped inside, Doherty said.
B次元官网网址淲hen crews arrived on-scene, they confirmed there was a partial collapse of a building on-site, the old craft mill building,B次元官网网址� he said B次元官网网址淭he workers on-site confirmed that the occupant that was trapped was able to self-extricate.B次元官网网址�
Members of BC Ambulance assessed the worker on-site, and he wasnB次元官网网址檛 transported to hospital, Doherty said.
B次元官网网址淗e was pinned underneath some debris there, but was able to free himself,B次元官网网址� Doherty said. B次元官网网址淚t was a lucky day for him.B次元官网网址�
An interior floor collapsed inside the multi-storey building, he said. The building itself still stands.
ItB次元官网网址檚 unclear what caused the collapse. Demolition work is currently underway at the former mill, but not at the building where the collapse took place on Saturday, Doherty said.
The collapse resulted in the rupture of a 400-pound oxygen tank and a 100-pound propane cylinder, and firefighters cordoned off the area and let the gases dissipate, according to Doherty. The leaks posed no threat to the public or environment, he said.
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The oxygen blew away immediately, he said. Propane is heavier than air, meaning that it can settle in low-lying areas. However, factors including wind direction allowed the gas to dissipate, Doherty said.
The fire department is prepared for these kinds of situations, he said, noting that Campbell River firefighters are trained in hazardous material response and technical rope rescues.
The site of the former Catalyst pulp and paper mill, which closed permanently in 2010, is currently owned by Rockyview Resources. The Calgary-based company bought the property in May 2016 following the bankruptcy of the siteB次元官网网址檚 previous owner, Quicksilver Resources Canada.
Rockyview is an oil and gas exploration firm that aims to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility at the site, a project dubbed Discovery LNG.
Black Press contacted the company using a phone number on the Discovery LNG website. An official who provided only his first name declined to provide details about the incident, saying B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doing an investigation.B次元官网网址�
He referred further questions to another official who didnB次元官网网址檛 immediately reply to a voicemail and text message on Monday.
WorkSafeBC confirmed that it was notified about an incident at the mill B次元官网网址渢hat caused no injuriesB次元官网网址� on Saturday morning.
B次元官网网址淎n officer has been assigned and WorkSafeBC is responding,B次元官网网址� said a WorkSafeBC spokesperson in an email.
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