Planet Ice in Coquitlam is closed temporarily after firefighters were called to the arena complex twice in the past 24 hours to deal with elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
Coquitlam Fire and Rescue chief Scott Young said his department first attended at the facility on at 2300 Rocket Way at 2:04 this morning (Sept. 10) after being contacted by the families of several hockey players who had been playing there Monday evening and were feeling ill and dizzy. One parent who contacted the Tri-City News said some players vomited.
“When we arrived at the arena we found high concentrations of CO (carbon monoxide) in the building,” Young said, adding there were no alarms going off and maintenance workers in the building were feeling no symptoms.
Young said Fortis Gas also attended and confirmed the CO levels detected by firefighters, who then proceeded to vent the building.
He said levels were back to zero or near zero by 9 a.m. and a leaky gas heater vent had been identified as the likely source.
But at 3:30 in the afternoon, fire crews were called back to the arena when CO levels increased again.
This time, Young said, the problem was traced to a faulty ice cleaner that was subsequently put out of service.
“Maintenance crews have been working throughout the day checking all appliances in the building,” Young said.
He added the facility will be closed until it can be inspected by a technical safety inspector, which isn’t expected to happen until Wednesday morning.
The Tri-City News has reached out to Planet Ice for comment.
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