The Regional District of East Kootenay has temporarily closed its Columbia Valley office after a real of some chemical fumes in the water treatment plant side of the building.

RDEK spokesperson Shawn Tomlin said in a press release that the emergency plan was immediately activated, and the building was cleared. The Windermere Fire Department and BC Ambulance were dispatched and one employee was transported to hospital for assessment.

The fire department fully ventilated the building and are currently working on the clean with the RDEK’s plant operators.

This was an isolated incident, impacting only a portion of the building, the release said. There were no impacts to the water system and there have been no interruptions in water service. Although the ventilation is complete, the RDEK will keep the Columbia Valley office closed for the remainder of the day and will reopen for regular hours on Monday morning at 8:30am.

The RDEK will continue to support its staff and will be working with WorkSafe BC to determine the cause.

carolyn.grant@kimberleybulletin.com
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