Smoking HVAC unit triggers evacuation at Burnaby, B.C., shopping mall

File: The City of Lougheed mall area of Burnaby, B.C., is seen from CTV News Vancouver's Chopper 9 on April 29, 2019.

Emergency crews briefly evacuated a busy shopping centre in Burnaby, B.C., Monday for what turned out to be a problem heating, venting and cooling unit.

The Burnaby Fire Department said workers and shoppers were sent outside because of a concerning smell at the City of Lougheed mall on Labour day.

“It wasn’t actually a fire, it was one of the HVAC units,” said Asst. Chief Derek Masaro. “One of the belts burned out, so it put a bit of smoke in the seniors’ centre in the back corner of the mall.”

City of Lougheed was reopened shortly after and a contractor was brought in to remedy the situation, Masaro said.