Gasoline spill in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut caused by 'human error,' says territorial government

A valve left open while gasoline was being transferred between two of the community's fuel storage tanks is the cause of a spill which triggered a mass evacuation in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut on Monday, according to the territorial government. 

"The fuel spill was caused by human error where a valve between the main tank and a smaller tank was left open during resupply. The small tank, once filled, overflowed," reads a statement from the Government of Nunavut.

The estimates of the size of the spill have changed several times, but according to the Government of Nunavut, the latest calculation is 4,800 litres. 

The community's mayor, Johnny Appaqaq, said he told the approximately 1,000 residents of Sanikiluaq to evacuate around 12:30 p.m. that day as a precautionary measure, while he tried to get information on the scale of the problem.

"We weren't getting any information for this community. No one was telling us anything. We had to do what we had to do to be safe," he said.

"If that fuel had ignited, we would have no control over it."

All of the free-flowing gasoline has now been cleaned up because of a lined berm around the tank farm area, where the spill occurred, he said, and he's not sure what will happen to the recovered gasoline.

Duane Wilson, Arctic Co-Operatives Limited's vice-president of stakeholder relations, confirmed it was staff from the local co-op store involved in the incident. Under a contract with the territorial government, they were doing their regular fuel distributions within the community.

He said the local co-op hasn't been asked to help with remediation efforts, but they are prepared to do that if required. 

Residents seeking information 

The only public statements from the Government of Nunavut on the day came roughly six hours after reports of evacuations, and after the hamlet told people it was safe to return. 

During that time, residents like Nukaja Sala tried to figure out what was happening. 

"We were thinking 'Why is no one coming to help us? Why is Nunavik the first responder?' And it later made sense. Nunavik was more prepared, had boats, and communications. We need that here in Sanikiluaq and in Nunavut too," she said in Inuktitut. 

On social media, council representatives from the Nunavik villages of Umiujaq and Kuujjuarapik said they were on standby for assistance, including for evacuation flights, if required. 

The Government of Nunavut has refused multiple requests for an interview. Instead, the Department of Community and Government Services (CGS) released a press statement Tuesday afternoon that includes a list of 12 questions and answers.

It said the Petroleum Products Division was notified of the spill around 1 p.m. on the day of the incident, and immediately took action. Within four hours, it said, environmental specialists were on the ground, and determined no fumes were present outside the spill site. 

The division said it wasn't part of the decision-making process for people to evacuate, nor did it receive a request for assistance. But it said Nunavut government officials communicated with the hamlet throughout the day, and emphasized that the risk to the community was minimal.

"Despite this, hamlet senior officials independently determined that the fuel spill warranted community evacuation," the statement said. 

"Sanikiluaq Hamlet Council did not pass a motion to declare a local state of emergency, as required by the Hamlets Act," it continued.

Social media panic

Mayor Appaqaq said he tried to tell residents not to panic, but misinformation was being spread on social media.

The false rumours he heard included reports of the spill being 84,000 litres in size, and that a Hercules flight supposedly destined for Sanikiluaq was being sent to Sanirajak instead. 

"We were trying not to make anybody panic, we just wanted to get people to a safe place," he said.

In its statement, CGS also addressed the incorrect information that was being circulated, including the exaggerated size of the spill. 

"The number reported by others appears to have been based on estimated capacity of the fuel tank itself, and not the actual fuel spill," the statement reads. 

"The Government of Nunavut remains the number one source of reliable information regarding spill response and emergency measures," it continues.

In an email to CBC, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said it didn't believe there will be lasting environmental impacts from the spill. It said enforcement officers are checking to see if federal environmental legislation was being adhered too.