Timeline: Explosion in downtown Wheatley, Ont.
Windsor, Ont. -
A timeline of events leading up to an explosion that levelled a building in downtown Wheatley, Ont.
June 3 – State of emergency declared after hazmat situation in downtown Wheatley
June 4 – Ontario’s hazmat team called to state of emergency in Wheatley
June 10 – Wheatley remains under a state of emergency
June 17 – Wheatley enters second week under state of emergency
June 18 – Wheatley prepares to re-open following state of emergency
June 28 – State of Emergency lifted in Wheatley
July 19 – Downtown Wheatley evacuated again after hazardous gas detected
July 20 – Second State of Emergency declared in Wheatley
July 22 – Evacuated Wheatley residents and business owners expected to return to properties today
Aug. 4 – Province launches investigation into Wheatley gas detection
Aug. 26 - Widespread damage after Wheatley, Ont. explosion
Aug. 27 – Community reacts to Wheatley, Ont. explosion
Aug. 27 – Chatham-Kent fire chief confirms another explosion could happen in Wheatley, Ont.
Aug. 27 – Chatham-Kent officials call for action plan from province following explosion
Aug. 28 – Search for Wheatley gas leak continues
Aug. 30 – Help available for Wheatley residents affected by explosion
Aug. 31 – 'Significant movement' made in preparing to find source of Wheatley explosion
Sept. 1 – Wheatley residents create ‘Wheatley Strong’ t-shirts to aid in fundraising efforts
Sept. 1 – No guarantee and no timeline; Wheatley officials update gas explosion investigation and evacuation
Sept. 3 – Windsor law firm planning to file class action suit for those affected by Wheatley explosion
Sept. 4 - Evacuated Wheatley residents won’t be back in homes next week
Sept. 7 - Officials seek cause of Wheatley explosion as debris clean up continues
Sept. 10 - Wheatley fish fry aims to raise funds for evicted residents
Sept. 12 - 'It's what we do': Wheatley residents come out in droves to support explosion rebuild
Sept. 13 - Municipality asks Wheatley residents to 'not spread gossip on social media'
Sept. 14 - Leamington residents living near Wheatley explosion site encouraged to prepare emergency kits
Sept. 15 - 'This is a cautionary tale': Two GTA MPP’s demand action for Wheatley residents
Sept. 20 - Municipality reaches deal with province to move Wheatley explosion investigation forward
Sept. 21 - Premier Doug Ford visits Wheatley explosion area
Sept. 22 - Safety sake cited for Ford’s low-key explosion site visit
Sept. 25 - Province providing up to $2M for Wheatley following devastating explosion
Oct. 1 - Wheatley residents might be evacuated for months after explosion
Oct. 8 - Monitoring equipment detects gas at scene of previous Wheatley explosion
Nov. 1 - Chatham-Kent accepting applications for Wheatley business recovery program following explosion
Nov. 23 - Another gas release detected in evacuation zone of Wheatley explosion
Dec. 12 - Demolition of downtown Wheatley buildings near explosion site almost complete
Dec. 23 - Work in Wheatley, Ont. on pause after second well discovered
Jan. 22 - New Wheatley explosion video released
Feb. 5 - Wheatley residents face longer displacement
Feb. 7 - Wheatley crews to install vapour probes and water monitoring wells
Mar. 10 - Investigation begins into potential fourth well in Wheatley
Mar. 14 - Work to find source of gas leak continues in Wheatley
Mar. 22 - Next step in Wheatley investigation work to begin this week
Mar. 29 - Drilling to begin at evacuation site of Wheatley explosion
Mar. 30 - Relocating Wheatley’s core? A lot riding on what more drilling reveals
April 10 - Evacuation zone in Wheatley, Ont. to be reduced following August 2021 explosion
April 13 - Emotional return home for Wheatley residents
April 26 - Wheatley residents able to return to their properties have some utilities restored
May 2 - Province to provide additional $3.9 million for downtown Wheatley businesses
May 3 - Crews to plug gas well in downtown Wheatley evacuation area
May 10 - Wheatley well remediation to continue until end of June
May 20 - Evacuation zone reduced at Wheatley explosion site
May 24 - Plans underway for further investigation, road reopening in Wheatley
May 28 - Wheatley evacuation zone to be reduced as of Monday
May 31 - Wheatley emergency site reduction complete, new boundaries outlined
June 16 - Emergency response phase of Wheatley explosion to close after 294 days
July 7 - Gas release reported near former Wheatley explosion site
Aug. 2 - Crews in Wheatley resume work on pressure relief well
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