The state of emergency in Wheatley is officially declared over.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent terminated the document at 12:45 p.m. on October 31, 2024, by mayor Darrin Canniff.
The emergency was initially declared on July 19, 2021, due to the detection of hydrogen sulfide and methane gas.
The explosion on Erie Street South happened on August 26, 2021, which destroyed two buildings and damaged many others in the area.
Chris Case, Chatham-Kent Fire Chief, says despite it being an emotional time for everyone, the community has been resilient and passionate.
"But above all it's very humbling watching the way that even with everything going on in their lives they still supported all the efforts, the firefighters felt supported, the crew felt supported. And the biggest learning experience for me has been to see a community become united and have such resilience in the face of adversity."
Case says the work will continue even though the state of emergency is over.
"We're still going to wait for six months and monitor the situation to make sure that it is stable before we absolutely finish things off. But when we got the call, Chief [Neil] Woods called me and he basically said that the gas just stopped, and that was quite an emotional moment. There may have been a few tears shed when that happened."
Lauren Anderson, ward one councillor, says the municipality has short-term plans for the space.
"We're going to plan on getting some Christmas decorations there, and the Wheatley BIA [Business Improvement Association] already has some stuff in line to put up there so that we can actually enjoy looking at that space, and we can celebrate the fact that the fence will be down, and a space that people can bring their families and they can drive by and be really proud of what they see there."
Chief Case says the site will be checked on daily over the next six months, and following that the municipality can make further decisions on redeveloping the area.
In early 2024, Chatham council approved the acquisition of buildings affected by the explosion, allowing for demolition to begin. A total of 15 buildings were demolished, allowing officials and contractors to begin an investigation into the source of the gas emissions.
During the final investigation phase, an abandoned petroleum well was discovered and plugged. Since then, no gas signatures have been detected on the monitoring well.
