BARRIE -- One day after a fire erupted, ripping through an industrial building in Schomberg, the focus has turned to concerns over the toxic chemicals inside.
"We're not just dealing with individual chemicals," explained King Township's Jason Ballantyne. "We are talking about the potential of all those chemicals mixing."
Firefighters were back at the scene on Tuesday, dousing the Aerospace Metal Coatings building with water.
The township activated its emergency operations centre for the first time, forcing the evacuation of nearby businesses and closure of roads in the area.
"The OPP and York Regional Police helped us with traffic control due to the plume of smoke, and the wind was blowing it to the north, so we closed a section of Highway 9," Ballantyne said.
More than 40 firefighters from three departments helped contain the blaze on Monday morning.
The company's website indicates it applies anodizing, plating and painting and uses metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium in its processes.
The Ministry of the Environment was at the scene of the fire on Tuesday, monitoring the water as it flowed into drains, ditches and nearby wetlands.
Water samples will be analyzed in the ministry's laboratory. Air quality was deemed not to be a concern today, but nearby businesses remained closed as a precaution.
"We are very fortunate there were no injuries yesterday, and we want to make sure we keep that track record going through the rest of the investigation," Ballantyne said.
The Ontario Fire Marshal's office has been contacted, but the investigation into what caused the fire will likely wait until it's safe to enter what's left of the 30-year-old building.
