IT turns out the North Shore News was wrong when we reported no one was hurt by an ammonia leak at the North Shore Winter Club.
In fact, North Shore icon and Olympic silver medal winner Karen Magnussen was sent to hospital following the Nov. 28 leak.
The malfunction occurred just after 5: 30 a.m. in one of the ice-making rooms and the gas collected outside the back of the building, according to NSWC spokeswoman Liz Goldenberg. At the time, Magnussen, a former world figure skating champion and instructor at the club, was on ice teaching.
According to Goldenberg, Magnussen went to the nearest fire exit to investigate what was happening after she heard an alarm. She was exposed to ammonia outside of the building, then went back inside to help evacuate students.
Magnussen was treated on scene by B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics and taken to Lions Gate Hospital and treated for breathing in the gas, which at high concentrations can cause lung damage and possibly death, but tends to dissipate naturally in the environment. In this case the exposure wasn't life threatening.
"Unfortunately she went outside and went around the back of the building where the fumes were wafting around," said Goldenberg. "She heard the alarm and she went out to see what was wrong."
At the time of the leak, Goldenberg said staff hadn't realized Magnussen was exposed, explaining why club president Kevin Banks had written in a statement that "all our personnel are safe."
The entire building was evacuated, and district of North Vancouver fire officials responded along with the city's hazardous materials team, B.C. Ambulance Service and RCMP.
Fire fighters activated the cooling system's emergency cut-off, shutting down the system, and allowing the ammonia to naturally dissipate. The facility reopened again at 11 a.m.
