LOCKPORT, N.Y. — While firefighters in St. Catharines, Ontario, are mopping up after a major fire at a chemical waste processing plant, Niagara County emergency management officials have been monitoring the smoke plume and assuring residents there is no danger from any exposure.
The blaze was near the waterfront with Lake Ontario and is about 8 miles west of Lewiston in Niagara Vounty. So that's why they kept close watch with fortunately no issues reported by the Niagara County 911 and Emergency Services Center.
The fire started about 6:30 a.m. Thursday in the SSonix plant, which handles hazardous waste and chemicals found in paint and aerosol cans. Some of that material was on fire. One person at the plant was injured and hospitalized with serious burns.
About 50 people from nearby homes in Canada were evacuated to a shelter, and other homeowners in that area were told to stay inside and keep windows closed for most of the day.
The St. Catharines City fire chief said they do have the blaze controlled but kept watch to make sure it did not spread to more hazardous chemicals. And again, here in Niagara County, they're still monitoring that smoke plume, which is not blowing towards them fortunately.
Niagara County emergency services director Jonathan Schultz says his agency has been monitoring since early this morning and checking the models of the smoke plume. But he says it appears to be heading north so at this point there is no hazard at all to any residents of Niagara County.
The only real impact in Niagara county was when they did get a number of 911 calls from people in the early morning hours who heard those explosions over in St. Catharines and wanted to know what was going on.
Otherwise, in terms of Lake Ontario, Ontario environmental officials do have a boat out using a boom to try to contain any chemical runoff into the lake water from this fire at the plant.