Downtown Ladysmith was not evacuated Friday morning, Dec. 18, despite a strong smell of natural gas that was reported about 9:45 a.m.
Town administrator Joanna Winter confirmed Friday that Fortis BC and Ladysmith Fire/Rescue were notified and advised the staff at Town Hall that there was no danger or need for evacuation.
"City Hall was briefly evacuated as a precautionary measure when the smell of gas was noticed in the building," Winter did note.
Staff didn't spend too much time outdoors — about 10 minutes in total — before heading back inside to carry on business as usual.
Sandy Bowden, Ladysmith's corporate services director later confirmed the "non-evacuation notice" was issued due to "lots of comments" on social media that the downtown area was indeed being cleared out.
"The source of the leak has not yet been identified," Bowden said Friday afternoon. "All we know is that it wasn't a Fortis leak."