The Sechelt Indian Band faces a significant cleanup bill after a trailer full of hazardous materials caused a large-scale evacuation from a Sechelt trailer park last Friday (July 4). But local police, fire and emergency officials are praising the Band for a rapid response in dealing with the potential danger to the residents of the park.
"The Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) was very proactive in cleaning up, during the weekend even, when the costs were higher," said Sunshine Coast RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Picard.
Though SIB Chief Garry Feschuk did not return Coast Reporter's interview requests this week, the cost of the cleanup is expected to be significant.
"There's certainly a gigantic cost to funding a hazardous materials program," said provincial emergency program co-ordinator Bill Elsner. He said the Band will assume the cost of the technical cleanup crew. The incident began when two members of the RCMP responded to an apparent break-and-enter call Friday morning at the Sundance Trailer Park, on the Band lands north of Highway 101. The officers were overcome by powerful fumes emanating from one trailer and were taken to St. Mary's Hospital. Both were later released.
Acting Sechelt Fire Chief Trevor Pike said the fumes came from mould and close-quarters storage of garbage, household cleaners, turpentine, muriatic acid and "an unusual collection of different types of metals." Rumours of the tenant conducting experiments with a brew of battery acid, plastic and garbage are baseless, he said. "At this point in time, there's no evidence the owner was concocting anything in there," said Pike, who characterized the tenant, in his 60s and known to the police, as "a fellow who has a real odd mix of materials for some unknown reason." All the park's trailers were voluntarily evacuated on Friday morning, and about 20 tenants went to a staging area set up in co-operation with Sunshine Coast Regional District Emergency Services.
Mean-while, a unified command post was set up on the highway across from the Eagle Ridge Veterinary Hospital, as rumours of a crystal meth lab began circulating throughout downtown Sechelt.
Volunteer firefighters carried out the initial entry at about 1:30 p.m., with assistance from a Ministry of Environment hazardous materials specialist, after hazardous materials suits were brought to the scene. About 15 members of the department had recently completed a four-day operations-level hazardous materials course in Sechelt, Pike said. "Up until we took that training, we wouldn't have been able to perform the operations we did," he said.Though the initial assessment determined there were no seriously hazardous materials, a decision was made to bring in a technical team from Richmond-based Hazco Environmental Services to remove the sludge over the weekend. Tenants of the trailer containing the hazard and those living on either side remained evacuated overnight.
The break and enter report proved to be unfounded, and RCMP Sgt. Stuart Falebrinza said there will be no criminal charges arising from the incident. Because it occurred on "federal, self-governed" Band lands, Falebrinza said it will be up to chief and council to proceed with any action they may deem necessary. The cleanup bill could also be passed on to the leasees. Elsner noted there were "numerous electrical code violations" inside the trailer.
