Carbon monoxide forces evacuation of flight tower at St. John's airport
The air traffic control tower at St. John's International Airport has been evacuated due to high carbon monoxide levels and fire crews are on scene.
The gas came from a malfunctioning boiler around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, prompting St. John's Regional Fire Department and St. John's International Airport Authority's emergency response team to respond to the incident.
"We have all that shut down now. We have to reduce the readings in the building ... nobody [was] treated or injured," said Platoon chief Brian Tucker.
The St. John's Regional Fire Department has opened all doors to the building to air it out and is monitoring levels of carbon monoxide inside.
Tucker said he is hoping air tower staff will be back in soon, noting carbon monoxide levels have dropped significantly already.
Arriving and departing flights were on hold for a short period of time, but have resumed.
Tower services moved to alternate location
NAV Canada, which owns and operates the tower, said it had moved services to an alternate location within 15 minutes of the evacuation.
"At this time, flight operations have not been disrupted ... However, flight delays may occur prior to NAV Canada returning to its primary air traffic control tower," reads a statement from the St. John's Airport Authority.
The agency is advising passengers to check the status of their flights with their airline.
