Lloyd Smith has been identified as one of the three people who died following an ammonia leak at the Fernie Memorial Arena on Tuesday.
Smith was the director of leisure services at the City of Fernie.
The Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel (AARFP), of which Smith was the incoming president of the board of directors, confirmed his death in a news release.
Coverage of the Fernie ammonia leak on Globalnews.ca:
Smith was a “seasoned and much-loved” RFP Arena 2, Building Maintenance 1 and 2 course instructor.
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Staff with the AARFP are “deeply saddened” by his death. He was a well-known presence at trade shows, conferences and courses, the release added.
Smith was also described as an “accomplished pilot and paramedic,” as well as a beloved father and a brother.
“This tragedy in our recreation facility family reminds us of the potential hazards that exist in any of Alberta’s roughly 339 arenas,” Stuart Ray, the executive director of the AARFP, said in a statement.
The investigation into what happened at the Fernie arena is still ongoing.
But officials have determined that an alarm went off in the facility at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday, and that a call was later made to close the arena so that emergency repairs could be completed, City of Fernie chief administrative officer Norm McInness said Thursday.
A specialist was also called in to help.
READ MORE: Investigation into Fernie arena ammonia leak continues as evacuation remains in place
Someone called 911 just before 1 p.m.; the bodies of three workers were later discovered at the arena.
Two of them were confirmed to be city employees, while one was a contractor with CIMCO Refrigeration.
All three bodies had been recovered from the arena as of Thursday morning.
A local state of emergency has been declared in Fernie, and it’s expected to remain in place until Oct. 24.
Meanwhile, an evacuation order has been issued for all homes between 13th Street and 9th Street, as well as Highway 3 and 5th Avenue.
Businesses such as a 7-Eleven, a Red Apple and a Trinity Lodge have also been included in the evacuation.
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