Bodies removed from Fernie arena

FERNIE — The bodies of two men have been removed from an arena in Fernie after an ammonia leak that killed three people as officials try to piece together a timeline leading up to the deadly incident.

Norm McInnis, chief administrative officer with the City of Fernie, said an alarm went off at the arena about 4 a.m. Tuesday, prompting the municipality to shut down the rink and call in a specialist for emergency maintenance.

Shortly before 1 p.m. that day, emergency crews responded to a 911 call and arrived to find someone providing CPR to a person outside the building.

“We all have questions as to what happened,” McInnis told reporters Thursday. “Something went terribly wrong.”

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.

Emergency responders were able to re-enter the building and recover the bodies about 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Ruiter said.

An evacuation order in the area will remain in place until at least today 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.

“Getting the evacuated residents home remains our top priority, but we need to make sure that we get them home safely,” Ruiter said.

Two of the men who died were city employees

A spokesman for the parent company of refrigeration business CIMCO confirmed that the third victim worked for their Calgary branch.