After almost two years since gas leaks began to plague downtown Wheatley, Chatham-Kent’s fire chief is calling the ordeal one of the longest emergency responses in the nation’s history.
Following the initial hydrogen sulphide gas leak in June of 2021 and the subsequent explosion on August 26, 2021, local firefighters were on-scene in downtown Wheatley 24 hours a day for almost an entire year.
“We believe the operational response in Wheatley was one of the longest-running fire incidents in Canadian history. Crews were on scene for nearly a year, around the clock,” said Fire Chief Chris Case.
Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services ended the “emergency phase” of its response in Wheatley on June 16, 2022. However, fire crews have repeatedly returned to the site when remediation work was taking place.
“We were able to bring some stability to the site. We’ve now got equipment installed which directs any gas through scrubbers. We’ve also got a flare stack in case the gas should come back,” said Case.
While remediation work in the town of Wheatley has taken time, the final road that was closed as a result of last year’s explosion was reopened to traffic and pedestrians on December 19. As well, the reduced evacuation zone in downtown Wheatley no longer contains any single-family residences.
“There has been a great deal of progress. I wouldn’t call it success because we haven’t actually finished the project,” said Case. “But again, a lot of progress, which I hope has brought some relief to the community that has been through so much over the past 18 months.”
Along with the ongoing response in Wheatley, Case said fire crews have responded to approximately 2,700 calls for service throughout the past year. Of those calls, 154 were for serious fires involving property.
