Massive fire at vacant St. Thomas factory an arson, police say
The blaze broke out Monday at former Weatherhead facility on Inkerman Street
A major fire at a vacant, former factory building in St. Thomas is being investigated as an arson, police said Tuesday.
The blaze broke out Monday afternoon at the former Weatherhead Company of Canada facility between Inkerman Street and Woodworth Avenue.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but police said they had reason to believe it to be suspicious.
No injuries were reported in the blaze.
"There's no electricity, there's no hydro, there's no water, there's no utilities at all that run to this location," said Samantha Wakefield, corporate communications with St. Thomas police.
"We did have, and there has been, calls for service in that area of that building several times over the last several months for unwanted parties or trespassing calls."
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames and plumes of thick, black smoke that could be seen from across the city.
"It was going pretty good once we arrived," said Shannon Ashton, fire prevention officer with the City of St. Thomas.
"We did a defensive attack ... Crews were there working all night. We're back on the scene there currently, right now," she said late Tuesday morning.
Roughly 50 firefighters were on scene, she said.
"We initiated a full call back, which in our world constitutes a page out to everybody in our fire hall, so they all come back."
The building has been unoccupied for more than 20 years, a neighbour near the property told CBC News on Monday.
"There's been the odd business in it once in a while, for a couple of months here and there," Bob Dentrey said.
"[The fire] started in the front area, which would have been, at the time, the office area. With the wind being out of the west, it just took right off across the building."
Police remained at the scene early Tuesday afternoon. Nolan and Inkerman Street and Woodworth Avenue were closed to traffic for the investigation.
"We are specifically appealing to anyone who was walking along the train tracks between Woodworth Avenue and Balaclava Street between 3:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Monday," police said in a media release.
Wakefield clarified the specific callout was made as people often walk along the tracks on foot and may have seen something, but it was not because the fire was necessarily linked to someone on the tracks at that time.
"That area specifically, and the neighbouring areas, are host to a lot of foot traffic between those hours. There's a couple of elementary schools in the area, and our high schools drop off in that area as well via bus."
A damage estimate was not immediately available. The property is currently listed for sale.
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With files from Kate Dubinski and Andrew Lupton