Two downtown calls on the same day

Two downtown incidents caught the attention of the public when Prince Rupert Fire Rescue Department attended to them this week on May 20.

Employees and staff evacuated the CityWest building and grouped together on Third Ave. while fire crews investigated call from the building.

“The call just came in as a general fire alarm, which we treat as a fire until proven otherwise,” Chad Cooper deputy fire chief, said.

Cooper said there were contractors working in the building repairing the HVAC system and the soldering was responsible for the smell.

“We ended up thoroughly checking the building marked sure, and it turned out to be a false one,” he said.

Crews were dispatched a short time later to another call in the downtown area, behind Galaxy Gardens, where a grease bin fell on a gas line perforating it to cause a gas leak.

The area was cordoned off, the restaurant was already closed, and the building next door was evacuated while PNG completed repairs, Cooper said.

“Thankfully it is was a small gas leak, it could have been much more serious.”