In a social media post, Mayor Don Darling confirmed that the explosion happened around 11:20 a.m. on Saturday.
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Darling tells Global News that he could hear the explosion himself while down along the harbourfront. He’s calling the event “quite significant.”
“It was big,” Darling said. “It’s an explosion that is shaking buildings, shaking nearby houses.”
“When people miles and miles, or kilometres and kilometres away are messaging me asking, ‘Whoa, what just happened?’ that shows you the level.”
Darling says he has been in contact with the city’s fire chief and head of the Emergency Measures Organization, as well as the city manager and the Port of Saint John.
He added that he has not received any indication that anyone was injured.
Paula Copeland, director of communications for the Port of Saint John, said the port is working with the city on their shared concerns about the recent explosions.
“American Iron and Metal continue to advise authorities that these are controlled explosions, inside a building structured to withstand them,” Copeland wrote in an email.
“However, the explosions are of concern to us due to the operation being located near an urban core and residences.”
Copeland say they’ve notified the province’s Department of Environment about the concerns as the province hold AIM’s permit to operate.
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AIM reported a similar blast in the days that followed the fiery explosion at the Irving Oil refinery on Oct. 8. The company said the noise was from a contained single burst of pressure with no threat to the public.
Darling says explosions, dust and noise continue to have a nagging impact on residents in the community and surrounding areas.
“I just think people have had enough,” Darling said. “This remains unacceptable and we need to find solutions.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by Max Wilson, who said last month that dust and reduced property values are just a few of the impacts explosions such as these are having.
“My wife and I sleep with earplugs,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to do that. What kind of quality of life is that?
“It’s just a nightmare.”
AIM, the Saint John Police Force and the city’s fire department did not immediately respond to Global News for comment.
— With a file from Andrew Cromwell.