Friends and family are mourning the loss of three workers who died in an ammonia leak at a Fernie, B.C. arena.

The BC Coroners Service said in a statement Friday morning that two Fernie men, 52-year-old Lloyd Stewart Smith and 59-year-old Wayne Allan Hornquist, were performing routine maintenance work Tuesday when they lost their lives.

Another maintenance worker, 46-year-old Jason Donovan Podloski from Turner Valley, Alta., also died in the arena.

Smith’s employer, the Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel, confirmed his death in a Facebook post Thursday evening.

The company posted a photo of Smith posing with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

"Lloyd is remembered for his quick and contagious smile, matter of fact way of stating things and most of all, his easy-going nature," the AARFP said.

"Quick to praise good work, Lloyd was our incoming President of the Board and leaves a huge void in all of our lives. Lloyd will be deeply missed."

The group asked others to share their memories of Smith.

"What can one say about such a giant of a man?" one person wrote.

"Lloyd was a friend to all and a mentor to many… We are better for having known Lloyd Smith."

Others wrote that he was a great friend, a great boss and an open and caring person.

Smith moved to Fernie for a job in 2015. He was also a part-time paramedic.

“Lloyd was a loving brother, a caring leader and a proud, proud father to a 13-year-old son,” said Karen Smith-Myles, Smith’s sister. “He will be deeply missed.”

Before that, he lived in High River, Alta., where he was friends with Laureen Harper, the wife of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

“Just found out my childhood friend Lloyd Smith died at the Fernie arena,” she wrote in a tweet Thursday. “He taught me to drive a Zamboni at the High River rink.”

Hornquist grew up in Fernie and worked for the city for 25 years. He liked to think of himself as the best Zamboni driver around.

Podloski had recently moved to Turner Valley and worked for the refrigeration company servicing the Fernie rink.

“It’s tragic when you lose anyone within your municipality, but to lose an individual through those circumstances was even worse,” said Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck.

The BC Coroners Service said it is still investigating the ammonia leak “to establish the facts and to identify possible recommendations to prevent future, similar incidents.”

WorksSafeBC, Technical Safety BC and the RCMP are also involved in the investigation.

The ammonia leak triggered a local state of emergency, and the area surrounding the arena was evacuated.

Only one of the workers' bodies was removed from the scene at the time, as it was deemed too dangerous to go back inside the building. On Thursday, it was deemed safe to enter the building and the remaining two bodies were recovered.

In a statement, Fernie Fire and Rescue Chief Ted Ruiter said the city's priority is getting evacuees back into their homes, but that the first step will be to get a more thorough understanding of the situation.

"Once that piece is in place we will have a better idea of a time line on the evacuation order," Ruiter said.

An information line with a recorded message detailing the latest information has been set up at 1-855-346-2188.

With files from CTV Calgary’s Chris Epp