Police in eastern Canada are investigating after a 19-year-old woman was found dead inside a large walk-in oven at a Walmart in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The woman, an employee at the store who was not publicly identified by police, was discovered inside the bakery department’s oven Saturday after police responded to a call around 9.30 pm local time. The exact cause of her death is still unknown, Halifax Regional Police said Tuesday, adding that the investigation “is complex and involves several partner agencies” and “may take a significant amount of time.”
A local labour department issued a stop-work order for the bakery and one piece of equipment at the store, CTV News reported.
The store will be closed “until further notice,” Walmart said in a statement.
“We are heartbroken, and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family,” the statement read. “Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need.”
Walk-in ovens are commonly used in industrial baking settings for commercial-scale food production, and some businesses use them in tandem with special product-handling equipment. Many models have safety release valves or other design features in place to prevent accidents. Despite being called a walk-in oven, some may not be large enough to easily and comfortably step into when equipment and baked goods are loaded inside.
THE WASHINGTON POST