Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Gas provider faces fire over B.C. leak and its 'apocalyptic' stink

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Jan, 2024 11:03 AM
  • Gas provider faces fire over B.C. leak and its 'apocalyptic' stink

Tara Jean Stevens said the "apocalyptic" stench that blanketed the Metro Vancouver community of Delta on Tuesday night was so heavy her car and garage still smelled of rotten eggs Wednesday morning.

"I had a headache all night," said Stevens, a radio host on Wave 98.3. "I never get headaches … it felt thick in the air, even though you couldn't see it."

The source was a FortisBC station near Ladner Trunk Road. 

The explanation about the cause has shifted, with FortisBC attributing it to an "equipment leak" in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, adding later that the leaked gas had high levels of a harmless odour additive. 

It said Wednesday in another social media post the smell was "due to a controlled release" of gas, while a statement on the FortisBC website described the source of the smell as a "minor leak" that was detected during the controlled release.

Regardless of the source, the chemical that caused the smell was mercaptan, which is typically added to odourless gas supplies so leaks are easier to detect.

The gas provider is being criticized for a lack of transparency and timely explanation about the stench Delta Mayor George Harvie said led to emergency services being flooded with calls.

Stevens said she first noticed the smell around 3 p.m. Tuesday when her son walked in the front door of their Delta home, and the smell was so strong she started to panic about what to do with her family.

"I was sitting here wondering, should I be getting in the car and getting out of here? Should I be driving until I don't smell it anymore? Is something about to explode? It was stressful."

In a written statement, Harvie said FortisBC didn't make a public statement on the gas release for more than four hours after initial reports about the smell were received by municipal officials.

Harvie said there was a lack of communication from FortisBC, calling it "an egregious oversight."

The heavy odour resulted in a flood of calls to police and firefighters that seriously hampered Delta's emergency response resources, he said.

"The stress and panic that this incident caused to both the public and our first responders was completely unnecessary," Harvie said.

He said he had asked Delta's city manager to conduct a full review into why residents and businesses were "left in the dark" about the release.

"FortisBC must be accountable for their delay in response causing confusion and alarm in our community.”

In another written response, the City of Delta said its fire department received 19 calls transferred from 911 about the smell, and firehalls received about 100 inquiries. That doubled call volumes compared to the daily average.

In many cases, fire crews had to physically attend to make sure there were no on-site gas leaks, it said.

The City also said Delta Police received several 911 calls about the smell and about 50 non-emergency calls on Tuesday, delaying their ability to take other calls.

"The failure of FortisBC to communicate this gas odour leak had a serious impact on our emergency services whose resources should be dedicated to real emergencies," Harvie said.

At 4:56 p.m. on Tuesday, FortisBC had said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it had responded to reports about the smell and "an equipment leak causing the odour is under control."

Around 9 p.m. another social media post flagged a service alert about the smell, saying "gas is under control."

In its website statement issued Wednesday, FortisBC said the odour was the result of work on new equipment at a Ladner facility, where "a controlled release of gas" was conducted Tuesday.

It said a minor leak was detected and brought under control by 2 p.m. "and repairs are underway." But the leak contained a large amount of mercaptan.

"The release of gas with a high concentration of mercaptan was not anticipated and, due to the strong smell, it has been detected by residents in several communities, including Ladner, Delta, Richmond and Vancouver," the statement said.

It said that despite the strong smell, mercaptan was not hazardous to inhale "with the quantity released in the atmosphere."

"We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause residents and commuters in the area. We realize the odour is very strong but it is expected to dissipate."

The odour was so heavy on Tuesday that BC Ferries told foot passengers at its nearby terminal to stay inside during their commute, while vehicle passengers were asked to roll up their windows.

Stevens said it was crucial to find out what went wrong.

"Even if FortisBC had properly warned our community that something was happening, I still think that it was a completely inappropriate level of something in our air," she said. "I mean, it felt apocalyptic. It was very off-putting."

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds
British Columbia's provincial health officer says people living or working on poultry farms should "prioritize" getting influenza vaccinations as avian flu spreads among flocks this fall. Dr. Bonnie Henry says while avian flu does not transmit easily from birds to humans, infections "can happen and are very concerning" because of the potential for the virus to mix with human influenza and mutate into something much more contagious.  

B.C. poultry staff told to vaccinate against flu as avian strains spread among birds

No Canadians approved to leave Gaza on Friday were able to exit: Global Affairs

No Canadians approved to leave Gaza on Friday were able to exit: Global Affairs
Global Affairs Canada says none of the Canadians on Friday's list of foreign nationals approved to leave the Gaza Strip were able to exit. There were 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members on the Friday list who hoped to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing.  

No Canadians approved to leave Gaza on Friday were able to exit: Global Affairs

Health authority declares COVID-19 outbreak with 15 cases at Victoria-area hospital

Health authority declares COVID-19 outbreak with 15 cases at Victoria-area hospital
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a Victoria area hospital. Island Health says in a statement the outbreak was declared Thursday at the centre unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital, with 15 patients infected and all experiencing mild illness.

Health authority declares COVID-19 outbreak with 15 cases at Victoria-area hospital

Canada Post releases new stamp to mark arrival of Diwali

Canada Post releases new stamp to mark arrival of Diwali
Canada Post, the primary postal operator in the country, has issued a new stamp celebrating the arrival of Diwali, the festival of lights observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other communities across the world. The stamp, which was released in a special booklet of six, costing CA$ 5.52, is available for purchase at post offices across the country.   

Canada Post releases new stamp to mark arrival of Diwali

Food bank in Canada closes its doors to int'l students

Food bank in Canada closes its doors to int'l students
Brampton-based Ste Louise Outreach Centre of Peel said it cannot provide enough food and other supplies to its customers as the number of foreign students turning up at the outlet has been soaring since September, the CBC news channel reported. A food bank is a charitable organisation that collects safe, nutritious food, and redistributes it to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.

Food bank in Canada closes its doors to int'l students

Surrey seizes $345K of fireworks

Surrey seizes $345K of fireworks
The City of Surrey says its bylaw officers seized a record 345-thousand dollars worth of fireworks over the last three weeks. Mayor Brenda Locke says the work sends a strong message that illegal fireworks will not be tolerated in Surrey. 

Surrey seizes $345K of fireworks