The evacuation of a Barrie hotel has turned into a drug investigation with one person in custody.

Barrie Fire began evacuating the Quality Inn on Hart Dr. around 11:00 over what was first believed to be a chlorine issue. About 20 people were evacuated to temporary shelters in the form of Barrie Transit buses.

Hart Drive update: Fire crews are evacuating the entire building due to a chlorine issue. EMS is on scene evaluating affected guests. @cityofbarrie Transit has been called to provide shelter to evacuees. pic.twitter.com/7L06QvBN7z — Barrie Fire (@Barrie_Fire) February 21, 2019

As firefighters and County of Simcoe Paramedics were going room-to-room to track down the source of the chemical smell, they came across one room that, according to Barrie Police’s Peter Leon, contained “certain things that just appeared to be terribly out of place.”

Barrie Police were already on scene as part of a tiered response to the evacuation, and moved in to take an adult female into custody. Leon confirms cocaine was seized from the room.

Leon says it appears the chemical smell was actually a pepper spray that had discharged when it was casually tossed across the room. Hotel staff caught a whiff and called emergency services believing it to be a chlorine leak.

Twenty people were evacuated from the Quality Inn at 55 Hart Drive Thursday morning

The suspect was taken to BPS headquarters where Leon says the investigation continues, adding that criminal charges should be expected. Leon couldn’t say whether there could be more arrests in connection to this