The investigation is on-going after a toxic blaze in Chatham on Saturday.
Chatham-Kent Police Service officials say the building housing the Church’s Army & Outdoor Military Surplus and the Hot Tub Men was fully engulfed.
“The building is a total loss,” police officials stated on Sunday morning.
“Dover Street was evacuated at the request of (the Chatham-Kent Fire Department.)”
Police officials say as a result of ongoing safety concerns, Thames Street, Dover Street, Kent Street and Pitt Street were set to remain closed throughout the night.
Police say Assistant Fire Chief Chris Case has requested that the scene to be held, as the officials from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office were set to attend the scene this morning.
Reports say two employees and three customers were in the army surplus store at the time, when they heard a crackling sound, before calling 911.
All five people managed to escape without injury.
Evacuations after ‘toxic blaze’
The Chatham-Kent Fire Department battled a “toxic fire” at a commercial building at 61 Thames St. in Chatham on Saturday afternoon.
Whitney Burk, public safety officer with the Fire Department, said it was a “large dynamic fire.”
Burk said the Fire Department was instructing anyone living the area of Thames St. to stay out of the smoke and to close all windows and doors and shut off your HVAC if people were in their homes.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service said on Saturday that evacuation attempts were made.
Police were calling the blaze a “toxic fire.”
Firefighters from stations #1, #2 and #7 responded to the blaze, which was called in at around 1 p.m.
Video 1/2 from a @SydenhamCurrent reader of Thames Street blaze in Chatham🔥 📽https://t.co/M7EeFvfag5 @ckfiredept @CKPSMedia #ckont pic.twitter.com/AtFQiUl6zi
— Sydenham Current (@SydenhamCurrent) 14 October 2017
Video 2/2 from a @SydenhamCurrent reader of Thames Street blaze in Chatham🔥 📽https://t.co/M7EeFvfag5 @ckfiredept @CKPSMedia #ckont pic.twitter.com/oXwTDXwye7
— Sydenham Current (@SydenhamCurrent) 14 October 2017
Here are some more photos of the blaze, submitted by one of our readers:
– Submitted photos
