Canada Post facility evacuated over possible gas leak
Nearly 200 Sunridge employees cleared from mail sorting facility after reports of gas smell; fire crew found no meter reading.
About 200 employees were evacuated from a Canada Post mail sorting facility in Calgary's Sunridge neighbourhood Friday morning after staff reported the smell of gas inside the building.
Calgary Fire Department crews responded to the facility on Sunridge Boulevard following calls about the suspected leak. Battalion Chief Scott Cowan said that when crews arrived with detection equipment, the gas meter registered no reading.
"But your nose will normally pick it up before the gas monitor will because our noses are very sensitive to the mercaptan that's in natural gas," Cowan explained, noting that human olfactory detection often surpasses mechanical sensors for natural gas odours.
The evacuation was precautionary but necessary given the potential hazard of an undetected gas leak in a large facility. No injuries were reported during the evacuation process. The incident underscores how quickly emergency protocols activate when public safety is at stake, even when mechanical detection fails to confirm the initial concern.
For residents and workers in the area, the swift response meant minimal disruption to daily operations once the all-clear was given.