NBCC Saint John evacuated after propane odour

The New Brunswick Community College in Saint John was evacuated on Monday morning after complaints of a propane-like odour.

The building on Grandview Avenue was evacuated just before 12 p.m. on Monday. However, classes resumed at 1:30 p.m.

Students and staff said they didn’t notice any odd smells of propane inside the building but they could once they left the facility.

The hazardous materials unit as well as about 25 firefighters and ambulance crews were called to the community college.

There is an ongoing investigation to pinpoint the cause of the odour.

Eric Garland, the district fire chief, said they didn’t detect any propane or natural gas readings inside the building.

Enbridge Gas New Brunswick was called to the building just to be safe, he said.

Garland said the gas concerns could have come from nearby construction where a crew is working on a boiler unit. Or, he said, another possibility is the nearby Irving Oil Ltd. refinery.