Emergency response phase of Wheatley explosion to close after 294 days

Emergency response team in Wheatley, Ont. (Source: Municipality of Chatham-Kent)

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is closing the emergency response phase of the Wheatley explosion after 42 weeks.

Firefighters from Wheatley, Tilbury and Chatham responded to a gas leak and explosion at 15 Erie Street North Wheatley on Aug. 26, 2021.

Officials say the aftermath and impact of that event has had a seismic effect on the local and wider community and brought untold disruption to families and businesses in that area.

Over the past months, nearly every firefighter in Chatham-Kent has been on scene around the clock to maintain a presence and ensure the safety of the community alongside engineers, paramedics, and police officers.

There have been many updates as to the work taking place to locate the source of the gas that lead to the explosion and the work to plug abandoned wells in the area with firefighters being on scene with the continued event for the last 294 days.Demolition of buildings adjacent to the site of the explosion in Wheatley, Ont. (Source: Municipality of Chatham-Kent)

The emergency phase of this incident opened last year and will be closed at 7 p.m. Thursday evening by Station Chief Greg Hodgson and the firefighters of Wheatley.

Hodgson and his team have been on the front line of dealing with this situation for over a year, in addition to continuing to fight fires in homes, attend accidents, medical calls, and the other emergencies to protect their community, they have attended 93 additional emergencies during this time.

"I want to take this moment to recognize the work of everyone who is collaborating and striving to bring stability to the town of Wheatley," said Fire Chief Chris Case. "But I am compelled to recognize and be humbled by the dedication and commitment of all the firefighters, officers, fire dispatchers, and chiefs of Chatham-Kent who have answered the call to be present and ready to deal with threats. As the community continues to recover, they can be reassured and wholly proud of their firefighters."

Safety advisors have worked in the background to calculate the risks and reduce the evacuation zone accordingly with two such reductions in previous months.

Wells have been capped and equipment remains on scene to manage any releases.

Advisors have now reviewed the systems in place and have guided us that the firefighters no longer need to be present at the site 24/7, they will be on-site when work is taking place to deal with any situations that may arise, outside of these hours police, security and the industry hazardous materials technicians will be present to keep the scene safe and secure.

Officials say the incident is not over, but this is another cautious step to provide reassurance and response to the community.

Firefighters will still be in the area and the team at Station #20 Wheatley remain available.