No injuries reported after chlorine gas leak forces evacuation of Regina YMCA

Regina's northwest YMCA was forced to evacuate due to a chlorine gas leak.

At 10:04 a.m. on Sunday, residents were forced out of the centre following reports of an unknown odour in the facility.

Units and personnel of the Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) along with city police arrived at the scene located on the 5900 block of Rochdale Boulevard.

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“Upon investigation we determined it was a chlorine leak associated with part of the distribution system for the pool,” RFPS deputy chief and spokesperson Dustin McCullough told CTV News.

McCullough went on to say that the leak was tracked to a valve in the facility's water treatment system.

Steve Compton, the CEO of YMCA Regina, confirmed no one was hurt during the incident.

“In an abundance of caution, we had the building evacuated,” he said.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to resolve this today and reopen shortly but what were really fortunate is that we don’t have any reported injuries or illnesses at this time either.”

As of 1 p.m. crews remained at the scene working to ventilate the building.

Chlorine gas is categorized as acutely toxic and corrosive to the respiratory system, according to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

The gas has the ability to cause skin burns, eye damage and can prove fatal if inhaled.

McCullough said fire crews utilized personal protective equipment and chlorine monitors in order to safety work at the scene.

“This is something we are prepared for. We have several facilities in the city that use chlorine to treat water, as with pools and water treatment processes so we are familiar with chlorine,” he said.

“It is one of the hazards in the community that we do train for and prepare for.”