150 residents still evacuated due to ‘chemical’ smell: West Kelowna fire chief

Crews have been brought in from Calgary to try to solve the mystery of a strange smell that forced the evacuation of the 60-unit Lakeview Pointe apartment building in West Kelowna yesterday, April 18, leaving an estimated 150 people locked out of their homes.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue and the Regional HazMat Team spent the better part of 14 hours trying to figure it out over the weekend without success.

They did determine it’s not a natural gas leak, West Kelowna Fire Rescue Chief Jason Brolund told iNFOnews.ca today, April 19.

“The frustrating thing is, it seems to move around,” he said. “We detect it in a particular area or have some indication on our detectors in particular areas, then we open the building up, ventilate it and then get none and then close the building up and it builds up again in a different location. It’s very strange.”

He’s been told it has a chemical smell but beyond that there’s been no clear description.

READ MORE: Do Not Occupy order posted on West Kelowna building

Crews are masked up for their own protection so rely on detectors that record some problems but not with high enough readings to determine what it is or how it’s caused.

The owner, Ironclad Developments based out of Winnipeg, brought crews in from Calgary yesterday. They worked through until 4 a.m. and were back on the job today, April 19, Brolund said shortly after 10 a.m.

Residents do get shelter and food allowances for 72 hours, as in any emergency evacuation, Brolund said. After that, it’s up to the owner to look after them. They've been told to contact the owner for further updates.

He’s encouraging Ironclad to put out its own news release today. The toll free number to its Winnipeg office is 1-855-777-1972.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.