‘We have cowboy development’

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This article was published 02/10/2011 (5379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lack of modern fire protection has turned a growing industrial park northeast of the city into a “ticking time bomb,” Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt charged following a serious fire in the area Saturday.

Wyatt’s criticism comes after a series of fires burned for hours near Gunn Road and Redonda Street starting about 12:30 p.m., damaging XPotential Products Inc., a plastics recycling facility, and forcing several businesses to evacuate.

The fire is similar to one in 2006 when more than 100 tonnes of waste plastics burned for days at the same recycling facility.

Because the area isn’t equipped with fire hydrants, Springfield fire chief Chris Litkowich said crews had to bring in water tanks and compressed air foam to douse the flames.

Wyatt said he has been urging the province since 2006 to freeze development in the park until a review determines what level of protective services are necessary for the type of industries located in the area. He again raised the issue at a community committee meeting last June.

Springfield still lacks the necessary firefighting equipment to handle such large and dangerous fires, he said.

“What’s happened is an indictment of the provincial government’s inaction,” said Wyatt.

“We have cowboy development out here. There has to be proper services.”

Saturday afternoon, strong winds blew thick plumes of black smoke northward that could be seen as far away as Brookside Boulevard. One resident said he saw flames shoot seven to 10 metres into the air. Traffic was diverted on nearby streets as firefighters battled the blaze.

Residents of 15 nearby homes who had been evacuated were allowed back into their homes Saturday night, although a spokesman for the Office of the Fire Commissioner said it would likely take crews until this morning to put out the remaining blazes in piles of recycling material.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, as well as crews from Selkirk, East St. Paul and the RM of St. Clement, helped battle the fires. The cause is under investigation, Litkowich said. There were no injuries.

Some residents who gathered to watch the blaze along rail lines in the area were asked by police to leave due to concerns over the smoke’s potential toxicity. A Manitoba Conservation spokesman said there was no threat to air quality in Winnipeg.

Had the wind been blowing from the north, much of Transcona would have had to be evacuated, Wyatt said, adding if another fire were to ever break out, weather conditions might not be as favourable.

In 2006, then-fire chief Mike Purtill told the Free Press an emergency plan for the industrial park estimated an emergency of this type could prompt the evacuation of 13,000 people in Transcona and the surrounding area.

Springfield Reeve Jim McCarthy said the RM has equipped its three volunteer-run fire halls with foam equipment to handle industrial fires.

He said council will review whether to add more services to the area.

“I don’t know if it’s necessary but it’s definitely something we’re going to review,” he said.

“We want to make sure the businesses and the people that live in the vicinity are safe.”

Wyatt said he would like to see Springfield operate a full-time fire department with hazmat capabilities.

McCarthy said he believes the area does not yet need one.

“I think with any municipality that’s experiencing growth, there’s a point in time where you have to make that decision,” he said. “I don’t think that we’re there yet.”