Investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office are investigating after a third fire in a month broke out at GEEP electronics recycling facility in Barrie.
The fire broke out around 2:30 pm on Wednesday, and more than seventy staff members in the building were able to get out of the building safely.
The plant remains closed as investigators continue to search for a cause. The frequency of fires is sparking concerns for Barrie Fire Chief Bill Boyes.
“We want to make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to make sure that the people in that building are safe, the surrounding area is safe, that our firefighters are safe when they do enter,” he says.
Wednesday’s fire broke out in a precious metal shredder. It’s the sixth fire in the last two years at the electronics recycling plant. There haven’t been any injuries and all fires have been deemed accidental or undetermined.
The Fire Department is working closely with the Office of the Fire Marshall and the Ministries of Environment and Labour.
“We’re investigating the processes, how the products going through the process interact with the machine. Was it functioning properly or was there a deficiency in the design?” says OFM investigator Jeff Tebby.
The Fire Department regularly inspects the plant for fire code violations and says the company continues to comply with orders. Company officials say they are equally concerned with the frequency of fires.
“The process has these risks of high energy with combustible materials, but that is a risk we have to try and manage, so we are working on that,” says GEEP VP of Operations Lew Coffin
GEEP currently has a charge before the courts for failing to comply with the fire safety plan from last year. Investigators say there could be more orders or charges issued after their investigation.
Fire officials plan to continue their inspections of the plant on Friday.
