Meaford assesses aftermath of fire, advises resident not to use town water

Meaford officials were advising people Friday not to use the town's municipal water supply as a precaution after a fire at an automotive business late Thursday.

Municipal officials were in contact with the province's Ministry of Environment and continued to assess the fire scene at Johnny B's Automotive to ensure no byproducts from the fire and firefighting efforts enter the town's water system.

As flames tore through the auto repair shop Thursday evening fire department officials raised concerns about potential environmental hazards due to the nature of the business and the items burning inside, including tires.

The municipality convened its Emergency Control Group and decided to temporarily shut down the town's water system. The town distributed a media release early Friday morning asking residents to avoid drinking the water and conserve water during the temporary shutdown.

The water system was restored by Friday afternoon, but the municipality issued a “do-not-consume” advisory in consultation with Grey Bruce Public Health that will remain in place until the Ministry of Environment completes all the required tests to confirm that the water is safe to drink and the fire has had no impact on the water system.

It is expected that the tests will be completed by Monday, the municipality said. If the timeline changes, the town will provide an update to residents.

The do-not-consume advisory also urges residents to not provide tap water to any pets or use the water to brush their teeth, wash fruits or vegetables, prepare food or drinks, make infant formula or make ice cubes.

“It's through the night so you don't know what's going on, so it's all precautionary until we can see where it's at,” Meaford chief administrative Rob Armstrong said Friday morning.

Armstrong said the town is seeking guidance from the province's Ministry of Environment and is working with a company that deals with the clean-up of hazardous materials to ensure the site is safe and any contaminants contained. On Friday afternoon, the municipality issued an advisory on social media advising people and pets to stay out of the bay until further notice “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Our ultimate goal is to protect people and ensure we have safe drinking water so it's all just precautionary at this time because we don't know all the information,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said there is no reason to believe any contaminants from the fire and firefighting efforts reached the town's water supply. The municipality organized a water distribution centre at the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre at 151 Collingwood St. W., where bottled water is available for pickup, limited to one case per family, while supplies last. Bulk water is also available at the water distribution centre for those able to bring their own containers.

Residents who require special considerations and are physically unable to go to the temporary water distribution centre can call 519-538-1060 extension 0 to be connected to the municipality's customer service team for assistance.

The community centre was to remain open to distribute water on Friday until 8 p.m. and reopen on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Several local businesses, the town's public library and the Georgian Bay Community School closed Friday amid the disruption to the town's water supply.

Meanwhile, due to equipment and personnel shortages following the fire, the Meaford Fire Department has issued a temporary fire ban in town to ensure the community is adequately protected over the weekend. The ban took effect as of 4 p.m. on Friday and will be removed at 9 a.m. on Monday.