Gasoline Fuel Spill in Sanikiluaq

Press Release

July 22, 2022

The Department of Community and Government Services’ Petroleum Products Division (PPD) is advising residents of Sanikiluaq of a gasoline fuel spill that occurred on July 22, 2024, within the bulk fuel storage facility.

For safety reasons, residents and pets are advised to stay away from the tank farm containment site until further notice from local authorities.

The Government of Nunavut has not issued any form of evacuation notice to the community.

At approximately 1:00 p.m., on July 22, 2024, PPD was alerted to a gasoline fuel leak with an estimated 5,000 litres of fuel spilled due to tank overfill. PPD’s local representatives promptly closed the tank valve to prevent further overfilling.

The current risk to the community is minimal. The spill occurred within the containment area of the facility, and no fuel has been released outside of this controlled environment. Photoionization Detector readings taken at 3:00 p.m., this afternoon could not detect any fumes beyond the containment area, indicating low risk to nearby residents.

Local response teams, including PPD contractors, the fire department and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are actively managing the safety of the contamination site. An environmental firm has arrived in the community to investigate and advance remediation efforts.

Residents are asked to stay clear of the site to allow for effective mitigation activities and reduce ignition sources.

Public safety partners have been engaged and will continue to offer support to the community throughout the response period.

Contact
Heather Grant
Policy Analyst
Community and Government Services
867-975-5465
CGSComms@gov.nu.ca

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