FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: EXPLOSIONS LEVEL 2 BUILDINGS AND ROCKS DOWNTOWN WHEATLEY ON:
Wheatley, Ont., still at risk after explosion that injured 20, officials say...Province says it's been working with external consultant to determine source of the leak.....After a gas explosion in Wheatley that injured 20 people and destroyed two buildings Thursday, Chatham-Kent officials in the southwestern Ontario municipality say the area remains at risk of another blast.
"It's unacceptable for the people of Wheatley to live in fear," said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff in a call Friday morning that provided an update.
3 injured following 'major' explosion in Wheatley, Ont.
Business owners in Wheatley, Ont., demand answers after explosion injures 3, destroys 2 buildings
Canniff wants the Ontario government to find the source of the leak, saying the municipality can't investigate because toxic gas is still around the area the explosion. Chatham-Kent issued a news release Friday afternoon urging the government to "correct the issue."
"Gas is still present and leaking at the scene," Canniff said. "It is an unsafe area, and unstable."
In an emailed statement Friday evening, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry told CBC News that since the emergency was declared on June 3, it has provided Chatham-Kent with "technical expertise and funding."
The ministry also said it "began working" with an expert external consultant in early August to "determine the source of the leak and to provide technical support (i.e. 24-hour monitoring and historical and industry expertise to the municipality)."
Comments