Propane-leaking Zamboni set off chain reaction blast in Alberta arena: officials

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

TABER, ALBERTA, CANADA — Officials in the southern Alberta town of Taber say it was a leaky Zamboni that set off a chain reaction fireball blast inside one of the hockey-loving community’s only ice rinks.

The town says a propane leak from the ice resurfacer created a gas cloud on Dec. 17.

That cloud was eventually ignited by a nearby electric heater, creating a fireball that blew off the building’s garage door, shattered glass and toppled walls between the two rinks.

Town spokeswoman Meghan Brennan says more than a dozen people were in the building at the time but were not hurt.

Fire chief Steve Munshaw says all maintenance procedures were followed and no one was at fault.

The cost and next steps on the future of the arena have not been determined, but Brennan says Canadians have flooded the community with messages of support.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

— By Fakiha Baig in Edmonton

The Canadian Press