Pink smoke in Edmonton baffles residents, here's what happened
Pink smoke caused confusion with Edmonton residents over possible health concerns
Pink-coloured smoke that briefly emerged in Edmonton skies Friday morning caused quite a stir on social media, as residents attempted to figure out what it was and what caused it.
The smoke began billowing into the sky just after 11:30 a.m. local time, prompting calls to Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS). According to city officials, the smoke was the result of a power failure at Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, an ethanol plant.
The release of the smoke posed no threat to the public or environment, city and company officials said.
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According to a fire spokesperson, a single crew responded to the smoke about 15 minutes after it initially surfaced. It found no fire and quickly contained the fumes. The area was eventually deemed safe by emergency officials and employees were allowed to return to work.
CITY INVESTIGATING; NO HEALTH CONCERNS
City of Edmonton spokeswoman Nicole Paradis told the Edmonton Journal that waste management centre officials are “looking into the situation.” The city notified Alberta Environment and Parks of the situation.
“The quantity of substance that was evacuated in the air is below occupational exposure limits and there are no safety or health concerns,” Paradis said.
Enerkem apologized for “any inconvenience or alarm” the smoke caused, in a written statement.
The Enerkem plant converts trash into ethanol, a synthetic fuel used to energize cars and trucks. The process starts by putting trash into a gasifier filled with hot sand, oxygen and steam, instantly turning the garbage into gas, which is eventually converted to ethanol.
This isn't the first instance of such pink smoke being emitted into the sky, as in June 2019, county officials in New Jersey told news site Patch that the distribution of pink smoke there was a harmless byproduct of iodine combustion.
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTION
Almost immediately after the appearance of the pink smoke, Twitter was lit up by photos and videos of the unusual fume. Here are additional posts that surfaced.
Source: Edmonton Journal
Thumbnail courtesy of Neil Kowalski.