Wolfville firefighters assessed after refrigerant leak

Four firefighters were taken to hospital as a precaution after a refrigerant leak in Wolfville Dec. 11.

Wolfville fire chief Todd Crowell said his department was called at about 8 p.m. to Cuts Meat Market on Main Street, almost directly across from the fire station, after someone reported smoke in the building. That smoke turned out to be the gas leaking from the refrigeration system in the basement.

The gas expanded into the upstairs, but Crowell wasn’t sure how much of the 800 pounds of refrigerant leaked before firefighters were able to shut down the system.

He said there was a failure of some sort within the system that caused the leak.

The refrigerant — known as R507 — is less potent than freon, Crowell said, but can still cause nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, severe headaches or unconsciousness if too much is inhaled.

The four firefighters were assessed at hospital and released fairly quickly with no ill effects, Crowell said.

“They were all on air (entering the building), but we wanted to be sure of everything,” he said. “It was all precautionary.”

They also had on their usual firefighting gear.

Subsequent teams that went into the building wore hazardous materials suits. Wolfville firefighters are part of the Kings County hazmat team, which covers the southwestern part of the province, along with crews from New Minas, Kentville and Greenwich. The other departments were called to assist with the operation.

Two other people who were inside the store at the time were assessed by paramedics, but Crowell didn’t know if they were taken to hospital or released at the scene. Apartments that were in the same building were evacuated as a precaution.

Firefighters removed the gas with fans to dissipate into the atmosphere before leaving the scene at 11:15 p.m. They closed off the surrounding area and monitored the air quality while the venting took place.