A smell similar to what one might expect from a natural gas leak which has been noticed by many in the City through this morning is a product of the pulp mill.

“At approximately 6:21 a.m. this morning, a power outage occurred at the Kruger Kamloops pulp mill, triggering a shutdown of operations,” announced Kruger in a notification sent out not long after the City of Kamloops put out its own advisory.

“During the shutdown, Total Reduced Sulphur (TRS) gases, normally incinerated as part of a standard procedure, were vented to the atmosphere in accordance with safety protocols,” added Kruger.

“This measure prevents pressure buildup and ensures the safety of personnel and equipment,” the company noted.

“Readings from the Kamloops downtown air monitoring station (as of 10:15am, Friday) have remained below 5 parts per billion (ppb) of TRS, which is within acceptable thresholds,” added Kruger.

“The mill is expected to resume operations by the end of the day.”

The City of Kamloops put out its own notification on social media at around 10am to advise residents of the situation.

It says it is working with mill owner.

A special air-quality statement had already been issued by Environment Canada — not for the TRS gas — but for increasing wildfire smoke in the area.

“Kruger remains fully committed to maintaining transparency and ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees, contractors, and surrounding communities,” added Kruger.