News Release
Crews Cleaning Up Hydraulic Fluid Leak
(Wednesday, September 20/2000)-- Officials from the Department of the Environment, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service and the municipality's Public Works division are on the scene of a hydraulic fluid spill near the shoreline of Lake Banook in Dartmouth.
The spill was caused as a result of a break in the hydraulic system of an aerial ladder truck while Halifax Regional Firefighters were battling an early morning blaze at the Senobe Boat Club on Lake Banook.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight last night and it took firefighters more than five hours to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters were able to save about 50 per cent of the canoes and other boats stored in the clubhouse by putting them in the lake. Damage to the building was extensive.
The hydraulic spill in a sandy area near the shoreline was discovered at first light and the Department of the Environment and HRM's Public Works crews were immediately notified. The Fire Service called in its tactical unit used to combat chemical spills, placed a plastic tarpaulin over the spill to prevent it from spreading in the event of rain, and placed containment booms on the lake (although the fluid did not reach the lake.)
Mechanical crews from the Fire Service are repairing the hydraulic system on the aerial truck; Public Works crews are removing the contaminated sand using a back hoe and Environment Department officials are overseeing the operation.
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John Blanden
Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service
(902) 430-3884
John O'Brien
HRM Corporate Communications Officer
(902) 490-6531
