The last of the buildings damaged in a gas explosion in downtown Wheatley started coming down Monday, but there is still work to be done to try to find the source of the gas.
The last of the buildings damaged in a gas explosion in downtown Wheatley started coming down Monday, but there is still work to be done to try to find the source of the gas.
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“This phase of the demolition, we’re going to take the nine buildings down. . . to the slab,” said Chatham-Kent chief building official Paul Lacina.
He said another crew will arrive in early September to do some exploratory work.
“They will be lifting up the basement slabs, the building slabs (to do) some investigative work to see if they can locate the source of the gas,” Lacina said.
As for what can be done with the property in the future, “That’s the unknown,” he said. “After the investigation, if they find anything, that’s the next step.”
There is still a live gas well near the demolition area at which the noxious gas is being moved through a scrubber and vented out, Lacina said.
From a safety perspective, he said, “Because we’re not removing any of the floor slabs or the foundations or the basement slabs, in essence, we’re not disturbing any of the soil, so there’s actually no digging, just the removing of buildings.
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Noting it’s “fairly safe,” Lacina added, “(With) any demolition there is always some danger, but the residents can be reassured that it’s going to be a safe site and no dangers to the public.”
There should also be little disruption to traffic as demolition work takes place.
Lacina said fencing and traffic controls will be in place.
Barry Broadbent has owned the Car Barn Restaurant and Tavern, one among the buildings damaged in the blast, for 37 years.
“It’s a sad day, obviously, but it’s a positive day knowing there is some progress being made,” he said Monday.
He hopes demolition work will give people something to which to look forward in the future.
“We’ve been suffering for a long time with very limited services,” Broadbent said.
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Noting it has been a slow process, he said, “It’s the unknown and people are getting a little frustrated with it, because it’s just dragging on.”
Broadbent hopes seeing some progress “will perk up a lot of souls.”
The Aug. 26, 2021, blast was linked to highly toxic hydrogen sulphide gas seeing up through the ground in the downtown area. It destroyed two buildings, damaged several others and injured 20 people in this community about 45 kilometers southwest of Chatham.
Officials, alerted to trouble by gas detectors, had cleared the area 90 minutes before.
Lacina said the demolition of these last nine buildings is an important day for Wheatley.
“They’ve been through a lot from the explosion,” he said. “These buildings are a reminder of what happened that day and once they’re down, the municipality and Wheatley, most importantly, is moving forward.”
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