The three victims of the deadly ammonia leak at Fernie Memorial Arena Tuesday have been identified.
Of the deceased, 59-year-old Wayne Hornquist and 52-year-old Lloyd Smith were from Fernie and 46-year-old Jason Podloski was from Turner Valley, Alta.
BC Coroners Service released the names of the victims, on behalf of the families permission, Friday morning.
On Thursday, colleagues and members of the AARFP released a statement, identifying Smith – who was a pilot, part-time paramedic and father.
Smith was the city’s director of leisure services, and Horquist also worked for the city for close to 25 years.
Podloski was contracted by the city through CIMCO.
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The exact cause of the ammonia leak, and the events leading up to the three men’s deaths are still under investigation by RCMP, WorkSafeBC, and the Fernie Fire Department.
An alarm went off at Fernie Memorial Arena at approximately 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, the city’s chief administrative officer Norm McInnis told reporters Thursday. That prompted officials to close it for repairs to the refrigeration system.
But between then and 12:56 p.m., when first responders received reports of a medical incident at the rink, McInnis said “something went terribly wrong.” He did not say anything further.
City officials will be holding a third conference Friday afternoon, with an expected update on the findings.
More to come.
