Best Western Hotel in West Kelowna was evacuated by firefighters after an employee inadvertently mixed a harmful chemical solution during pool maintenance.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue reported that they arrived at the hotel, located on Carrington Road, shortly after 4 p.m. on Monday after a call regarding a chemical spill.
Crews quickly secured the pool maintenance area and evacuated the hotel before calling on the Regional HAZMAT team in Kelowna for assistance.
Upon arrival, HAZMAT teams found a bucket containing a harmful solution of acid and chlorine that an employee had unintentionally mixed in during routine pool maintenance.
HAZMAT removed the bucket from the area after ensuring it was safely contained, and released it to a specialty HAZMAT company for disposal.
According to WKFR, one hotel employee was transported to the Kelowna General Hospital after inhaling gasses produced by the chemical mixture.
Other guests and employees that reported minor symptoms were assessed by BC Ambulance at the scene, but were not transported to hospital.
As of 8:37 p.m., the hotel remained evacuated. Management was working to find alternate accommodations for guests impacted by the incident.
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