Ammonia leak from ice rink the cause of Waterfront evacuation: Hamilton fire

Hamilton fire says a compressor inside the refrigeration room used for the outdoor ice rink at Pier 8 caused an ammonia leak precipitating an evacuation on Thursday afternoon.

Deputy fire Chief John Verbeek told Global News that hazmat teams arrived at a location near the Waterfront Grill building on Discovery Drive around 5:00 p.m. to fix a “minor leak.”

“As a precaution, firefighters evacuated the nearby area, including Williams Café, and ventilated the room,” said Verbeek. “Hazmat crews then entered the room and were able to shut off the supply of ammonia to the compressor.”

Verbeek said the building was turned back over to the owners around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday night after crews ventilated the refrigeration room.

There were no injuries.

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