Fuel spill forces closure of Attawapiskat hospital

The community of Attawapiskat in Ontario's far north has been forced to close its hospital while it deals with a heating oil spill in the crawl space of the building.

The CEO of the Weeneebayko Health Authority, Robert Adolph, said about 10 patients have been moved by Ornge air ambulance to hospitals in Fort Albany and Moose Factory.

Some nurses went with patients. The remaining nursing staff have set up a clinic inside the ambulance base in Attawapiskat to handle medical emergencies, Adolph said.

It is believed about 1200 litres of heating fuel leaked inside the hospital building when a pump that is part of the system failed on Sunday, Adolph said.

"It has been reported that it is about 1200, but I haven't gotten an assessment report back from the contractor yet, so that may change," he said.

It is unclear how long it will take to clean up the heating fuel spill and re-open the hospital, Adolph said.

The Attawapiskat hospital was also shut down in the spring of 2013 because of a sewer back-up.

Listen to the conversation with Robert Adolph, CEO of the Weeneebayko Health Authority, that aired Tuesday on CBC Sudbury's afternoon radio show Up North with host Jason Turnbull. 

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