Fire at recycling plant
The Kahnawake Fire Brigade (KFB) was alerted to a fire at TerraPure by the Kahnawake Peacekeepers, who had been informed of a related road closure by the Roussillon Police.
“It’s my understanding that out of an abundance of caution, (the Peacekeepers) called us to assess and see what was going on,” said KFB interim fire chief Wihse Stacey.
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) posted on Facebook on December 30 that the KFB had joined other fire services the night before, with the fire tamed by 10 p.m. However, when the incident commander arrived on scene to offer assistance, he was told the situation was under control.
“We weren’t called to the fire, we were called because of the fire,” clarified Stacey.
According to the MCK, the fire originated in the area for cardboard and wood pallets, but the air quality surrounding the factory was deemed safe and the direction of the winds that night diminished the impact of the smoke in Kahnawake.
“Fires at recycling plants are actually quite common,” said Stacey, with facilities often required to have fire protection on site.
TerraPure has kept the MCK apprised, according to the Facebook post. TerraPure did not return a request for comment by phone, and the MCK did not provide further details by deadline.
It’s not the first time the recycling plant has rankled Kahnawa’kehró:non – the plant has drawn the ire of those living near the Ste. Catherine industrial complex near Kahnawake Survival School (KSS), who were complaining last spring of a long history of pollution odours in the area, with the MCK confirming spikes in poor air quality at the time.
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
