A Langley hotel was evacuated and six people were treated Friday after pepper spray was accidentally released in the building.
Township firefighters, BC Ambulance paramedics, and RCMP all headed to the Holiday Inn on 204th Street near 88th Avenue Friday morning.
A pepper spray cannister discarded in a garbage can was accidentally set off by a hotel staff member cleaning up, said Cpl. Holly Largy of the Langley RCMP.
The pepper spray spread from the third floor through the building’s ventilation system as far as the lobby.
Firefighters helped six people suffering from the effects of the spray, which can irritate lungs and eyes.
The typical treatment is to get affected people into fresh air. If they are more seriously affected, they may be given extra oxygen or have their faces and eyes flushed with saline or fresh water, said district fire chief Russ Jenkins.
“It’s quite painful,” Jenkins said.