Telus World of Science fire caused by unit inside HVAC system
Posted January 27, 2025 9:12 pm.
Edmonton’s Telus World of Science is shining more light on the “small” fire that caused its closure last week, saying it was an issue with its HVAC system and spread smoke around.
The fire started last Monday in the main exhibition hall inside an air handling unit.
READ MORE: Edmonton’s TELUS World of Science temporarily closed due to small fire
Smoke spread to 45 per cent of the science centre.
“We were able to shut off that unit fairly quickly but even by the time we had done that, the smoke had spread through the venting system,” said Constance Scarlett, the president & CEO of Telus World of Science.
Nearly 1,000 guests, school groups, volunteers, and staff were evacuated. No one was injured.
Scarlett says the unit that caused the fire was 12 years old and was regularly cleaned and maintained.
The building is now in the process of getting a deep cleaning to get rid of any smoke residue that still lingers.
“Walls, carpets, equipment, anything that was in those areas has required a deep clean. In addition to that, since Monday we have been scrubbing the air in the building as well to ensure we have good air quality while we’re working in the building,” Scarlett explained.
No special equipment or valuable items were damaged in the fire, but there was extensive damage to the feature “amazing pollinators” exhibit which was supposed to open this past weekend. Because of the cleaning process, it has been cancelled.
Crews are now working 16 hours a day to get the science centre back open.
It’s now expected the centre will have most exhibits open again next week, but the main hall won’t have an exhibition again for several months.
