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Optometrists Building Along Second Avenue Evacuated This Morning Due to Electrical Issue

Tuesday, 20 August 2019 15:52

The incident occurred just outside the Optometrists Building on Second Avenue this morning (Photo courtesy of Google Street View)

Occupants inside the Optometrists Building along Second Avenue were evacuated this morning after an electrical issue occurred in the area.

Whitehorse Fire Department Captain Bryan Fedoriak says the Optometrist Building on Second Avenue had to be evacuated early this morning after smoke was smelt inside.

Fedoriak says his crews responded quickly to the incident after his department received notice regarding what was going on.

"Crews detected a smell of burning wires inside the building. Upon further investigation, we discovered that an Atco Electric line feeding power to outdoor plugins for vehicles had tripped and caused a small fire in that breaker box. It caused a fuse to blow on the power pole. It created a bit of an overheating motor in the ventilation room of 2093 Second Avenue. It really was just smells. We cleared the building and made sure it was safe for the occupants to go back inside.

Fedoriak says dozens of people were evacuated from the building.

"The business day had already started and there was probably 30 to 40 people outside. The scene after was turned over to Atco Electric who were dealing with the fuse box for the outdoor plugins."

No one was injured during the incident and most staff returned to their offices one or two hours after the evacuation occurred.

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