As accidents involving chemicals go, Vancouver got lucky.
On the afternoon of March 4, a shipping container caught fire on the city’s waterfront. The container was full of a commonly used chemical called trichloroisocyanuric acid that had been shipped from China, according to Port Metro Vancouver.
As health officials warned that exposure to the smoke could cause breathing problems and eye irritation, the port was evacuated and city residents within a five-kilometre area downtown and around the Downtown Eastside were told to stay indoors, shut doors and windows and turn off air conditioners and furnaces.
The large plume of smoke wafted east and north to North Vancouver and Burnaby, causing concern in those communities as well. But by nightfall, the shelter-in-place advisory had been lifted and the fire was mostly under control.
It could have been worse, said Vancouver fire Chief John McKearney.
“We figured out it was a Class 1 oxidizer out of four classes of oxidizers,” McKearney said. “In the realm of oxidizers, it’s the least concerning. There are certainly other products that would have been more dangerous for us to concern ourselves with.”
Oxidizing liquids and solids are classified “based on their ability to cause spontaneous combustion and how much they can increase the burning rate,” according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Heath and Safety. Class 1 oxidizers “slightly increase” the burning rate and do not cause spontaneous ignition with material that comes into contact with them, while Class 4 oxidizers can explode when exposed to slight heat or friction.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and Transport Canada will now each complete a separate investigation into the incident.
For the City of Vancouver and Vancouver’s fire department, the incident is prompting questions about what is being shipped through the region and how prepared fire departments are to respond to a serious chemical spill or fire.
Along with other municipalities across Canada, Vancouver has been pushing for more information about dangerous goods from railways. But the March 4 fire shows the city may also need more information from Port Metro Vancouver, said deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston.
Following the Lac-Mégantic train derailment and explosion that killed 47 people in the summer of 2013, Transport Canada directed railways to give municipalities information about dangerous goods being shipped through communities.
The City of Vancouver receives confidential reports from Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, one year after the shipments have gone through. That’s not good enough, Johnston said.
“It’s supposed to be quarterly and we’re trying to get them on a regular basis,” Johnston said. “It’s not really happening the way it needs to happen.”
In emailed statements, CN and CP said they were complying with current regulations and continuing to work with local governments, including providing training to first responders.
Note: This story was first posted by our sister publication Business in Vancouver. To see the original story click here.
