Residents in Saint John voiced their ongoing fear and concern about continued operation of American Iron and Metal in the Port of Saint following a massive industrial fire two weeks ago.
It was part of a town hall hosted by Liveable Saint John.
“Fear of explosions that rock the homes and wake up our children,” said Jane Ryan, a west side resident. “Fear of the sound of sirens because somebody at this facility is hurt or dead.”
Calls to permanently shutter the recycling business have continued to grow since Sept. 14.
Hazel Anderson, who lives in Saint John, said she has ongoing concerns about the more long-term complications of the fire.
She has neighbours who grow their own food, but added there was some speculation food exposed to the air during the fire may be contaminated.
“Are there heavy metals in the soil? Who is going to tell us and when?” she said.
The fire was reported at 1:36 a.m. on Sept. 14 and crews battled the fire for more than 40 hours, using 2 million gallons of water. It prompted a voluntary shelter-in-place order for the whole city and any regions where smoke could be seen or smelled.
Fire chief Kevin Clifford told reporters on the day of the fire it was rooted within a pile of crushed cars standing 30 feet high. The fire department had to pull water from Saint John Harbour for the first time.
The province commissioned a task force to investigate how the fire started and the impacts of it. The Department of Environment issued a stop-work order and AIM won’t be able to resume until the investigation is complete.
Councillors Paula Radwan and David Hickey both said Clifford described firefighters ducking behind fire trucks as explosions were happening within the pile of scrap.
Clifford told the councillors there were about 12 explosions per hour.
The impact was felt far and wide, even for young people. Eight-year-old Tesla Frickett said she was scared when she saw the fire and smoke.
“I was really scared.” she said. “It required so many people to come and some people (were) in danger.”
Others said they hoped this would be the final incident to seal the removal of AIM from the city.
“This is hopefully the last straw and something gets done – where they are removed from the city – and you know I’m not from here but I’m proud of it, but every time I look at that pile of scrap, it gets harder and harder to say that I’m proud,” said resident Jedd Munroe.
The provincial government has jurisdiction over the operating license AIM needs to continue working in the city.
But Mayor Donna Reardon said while it is frustrating, being at arm’s length allows the city to hold the province accountable in ensuring AIM is safe to operate, if at all.
“It was terrifying,” she said, describing being afraid to open her windows for days after the fire was extinguished. “Because it has been devastating and it is also devastation from a reputation point of view for Saint John as well.”
Hickey also spoke to the small crowd.
“It should have been the first workplace death that closed it, it should have been the second one, and it should have been the countless incidents,” he said. “It’s clear that the leadership of AIM has no regard for this community.”
Coun. Paula Radwan also owns a business in the uptown area and said the decision to stay open was an agonizing one, knowing many others closed for the day.
“I know the stress and worry about our residents, stress and worry of our firefighters being on site for so long and being so close to this,” she said.
The province has committed to releasing its findings on the AIM fire, but there is no date on when the investigation could be complete.
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