Paramedics treated five people following a hazmat incident at the Courtenay Return-It Centre on the afternoon of Sept. 2.
According to Courtenay RCMP Staff Sgt. Troy Beauregard, officers responded to the report of an explosion at the Puntledge Road facility around 1:30 p.m. as an employee was dealing with scrap metal inside the centre.
“It was accidental, a canister of bear spray had been accidentally compressed and released its contents, affecting staff and patrons that were inside,” Beauregard says.
The building was evacuated and paramedics dealt with the injured while fire crews worked to clear the spray.
Fire crews heading to the scene had prepared themselves for a possible far more serious situation, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Welsh.
“Initial reports were multiple patients, unconscious, it came in as quite a severe call”, Welsh says
Crews went inside the building with gas detectors to take air readings, but those came back negative. Hose lines were used to disperse the spray that was on the floor area.
“The effects of bear spray or any type of irritant gas can be quite intense so I imagine quite a few people were feeling the effects which was rightly so, the effect of bear spray can take your breath away quite a bit” he says.
Welsh says those affected were able to use smaller fire hoses to wash out their eyes and get the residue off their face.
He acknowledged that the Return-It Centre is a depot used to bring in substances such as bear spray but suggests individuals make phone calls first to the centre or the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre to check with staff about proper disposal techniques.
