A massive fire at a hazardous materials company in St. Catharines on Thursday triggered a number of explosions, leaving one person seriously injured and prompting the evacuation of several homes and businesses.
The fire broke out at Ssonix Products at 20 Keefer Road shortly after 6:30 a.m. Surveillance video taken from the area shortly after the fire started and obtained by CTV News Toronto shows a bright-lit sky with flashes and booms from the explosions.
One woman who lives nearby posted video of the fire to social media and said the initial explosion was so loud that she thought a tree had struck her home.
St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper said crews responded to the blaze and found ongoing explosions.
"Explosions were continuing in the facility for about a good 45 minutes while they were on scene," Upper said.
There was one employee in the building at the time of the fire who suffered serious burns, he said. The employee was transported to a local hospital before being transferred to Sunnybrook Hospital. There is no immediate word on his condition.
Upper said the building has five bays, and the main body of the fire was located in the middle bay, where paints were being processed and stored. Due to the number of chemicals in the building, fighting the fire had been challenging, he said.
By the afternoon, crews were able to put the fire under control. "We're happy with the progress that we're making," Upper said during a Thursday afternoon news conference.
He noted that crews are trying to keep the fire from spreading to the other bays, especially the one where "parasitic" substances are located.
"There is a bit of a concern because if it gets heated up, it is toxic and can explode. So crews are working to make sure that we cut that off," Upper said.
He added that firefighters were also at an adjacent building, where the fire spread.
"We've had fire move into the roof and then some of the contents in the building. We've been able to make entry into the building to see that there is some racking and shelving, and so there's contents there that are burning," Upper said.
Exclusive drone footage of the site obtained by CTV News Toronto shows firefighters dousing the site with water in an effort to extinguish the flames.
"Crews will remain on scene as is until we get to a point where most of the contents of the fire have been knocked down and then we will start to de-escalate. I would anticipate that crews remain on scene probably until after dinner," Upper said.
The cause and origin of the fire are unknown. The Office of the Fire Marshal is at the scene and will conduct an investigation alongside St. Catharines Fire Services.
"We don't know any of the events that led up to the explosion. We know that there was kind of an initial catalyst explosion, so to speak, to start things off, which obviously shook the area. We've heard reports that people felt the explosion several kilometres away. And then from there, the fire evolved," Upper said.
The fire prompted officials to evacuate nearby homes and businesses as a precaution.
More than 50 residents from evacuated homes were sent to a local community centre. Other residents were told to shelter in place and to keep their doors and windows closed to avoid the smoke.
All evacuees were allowed to return home late Thursday afternoon.
CREWS TRYING TO CONTAIN RUNOFF INTO LAKE
Chief Upper said there are also concerns that some of the chemicals might leak into the lake.
"The owner is on scene now and we have a good description of what the chemicals are in the building," Upper said. "We are concerned that there are some cleaning agents in the one bay and we're trying to determine the level of fire, how far it's extended and our exposure to that area."
He said a boat had been launched by a hazardous materials company to try and contain any runoff from the fire that might end up in the lake.
"We know that all of the runoff is being collected in the ditches and it's running through the system and that it's going into the lake," Upper said. "So we're working to stem the water from flowing into the lake and then whatever's in the lake right now, we're trying to catch."
Police and paramedics were also on-scene.
"We have responded to the area with emergency service personnel. Multiple units from St. Catharines Fire Service and Niagara Emergency Medical Services are on scene near Seaway Haulage Rd at Keefer Rd.," Niagara Regional Police told CP24 in an email.
"We are asking members of the public north of this location to stay indoors and out of any smoke. Do not come to the area."
St. Catharines Fire Services said the Ministry of the Environment is doing air quality monitoring in the area. Upper said the ministry checked two schools in the area, and the air was clean.
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe thanked first responders for their prompt actions to protect residents.
"Our fire services were on site very quickly. I had the opportunity to talk to some residents this morning and it was only two or three minutes between when they heard the first explosions and when they heard the sirens coming across the bridge," Siscoe said.
He urged residents to keep away from the scene while firefighters worked to put the blaze out. The mayor said he received reports of people trying to get close to the area, with some attempting to fly drones to capture what was happening.
"You're not making things better, you're not making things easier, or you're not being helpful. You're making things actively worse. Please stay out the area. Please allow our fire services to do their jobs," Siscoe said.
Keefer Road remains closed between Northrup Crescent and Seaway Haulage.
