‘Just like a great big storm coming!’ St. Thomas warehouse blaze deemed suspicious

The former Weatherhead Company of Canada Limited plant was levelled following a massive fire on Monday, CTV London's Sean Irvine reports on the damage.

A large industrial fire that sent smoke billowing into the sky above St. Thomas Monday afternoon has been deemed suspicious.

On Tuesday morning, smoke continued to rise from the site of the former Weatherhead Company on Woodworth Avenue.

Charred steel and other debris are all that remain.

The blaze broke out shortly after 4 p.m.

Resident Ray Leatherdale closed his windows as winds pushed smoke into his apartment. He could not believe how quickly the fire grew.

“Just like a great big storm coming! And then you can see the flames. Lots of flames! And now there’s nothing left,” he said in astonishment.

The speed of the advancing flames can be seen in security videos from a neighbouring business.

As cleanup crews removed debris from its roof Tuesday, ownership expressed gratitude to firefighters for doing everything they could to stop the advancing flames.

The same thoughts were shared by those who live across from the scene.

“I couldn’t get over how hot it was. It was crazy, and very scary to watch it” said Jacilynn Carr. “You’d think that they had it under control, and then it would just shoot up again!”

Carr said the empty warehouse was frequently broken into.

“We’ve actually contacted the police on several occasions in the past couple of years for witnessing people on the roof or trying to break in in several different areas of the building. And it was kind of something that we expected would happen. We’ve seen a lot of shopping carts and garbage, piles, and things around increasingly in the last little while.”

Police and fire investigators have been looking for more information and video surveillance, especially in the area near the railway tracks. The Ministry of Environment has also been called to the scene.

Fire officials say the scene will be held for several days.

At the peak of the fire, off-duty crews were called in to help. Prevention Officer Shannon Ashton said more than 50 were on the scene.

“The challenge was the wind because it was going one way, and then it reversed to another way, and we had to evacuate some residents.”

Those evacuated were allowed to return to their home around 10 p.m. despite a persistent smell of smoke.

“Smells like burnt plastic,” worried Leatherdale.

And while that is not a welcome scent, the fact that no one was hurt remains a blessing to all.

“It was a very long night. These first responders have been amazing. I can’t thank them enough for getting it under control”, shared Carr.