Chemical plant burns in southern Quebec, sparking concerns about toxic contamination

A fire erupted at a chemical plant in Quebec's Eastern Townships on Friday morning.

The fire, which began around 5:30 a.m. Friday at the Polyrheo facility in Bolton-Est, sent dark black clouds of smoke billowing skyward and sparked concerns of toxic chemicals leaking into the surrounding area. 

Residents who live near the facility should avoid drinking their well water and stay indoors, the municipality of Bolton-Est said in a Facebook post. 

"We strongly recommend that you do not go outside due to the thick black smoke," the municipality wrote. "Citizens of the South Bolton area are asked not to consume the water in their wells until further notice due to possible contamination. Please also ensure that your pets do not wade in or drink the water."

Dozens of firefighters from multiple municipalities fought the blaze. The Austin, Eastman, Potton and Lac-Brome fire departments all sent crews. 

Pierre Desmarais, chief of the Austin fire department, said the fire became so intense that they decided to fight it "defensively." Firefighters stood outside the building, rather than entering, and sprayed it with water. They also used an excavator to pull down parts of the building to better fight the fire. 

Desmarais said firefighters had been trying all morning to reach someone at Polyrheo who could tell them what chemicals were present in the plant, but had no success.

"We're trying to join someone in charge. I spoke to people, but those people just referred me to other people and for now we can't get the detailed list of what products were inside," he said.

Pierre Lemay, the acting mayor of Bolton-Est, said public health officials were also on the scene and that the municipality would begin delivering drinking water to people if needed. 

Missisquoi Road, also known as Route 245, was closed in the area. 

Firefighters placed absorbent barriers on the ground to stop what appeared to be greenish-blue runoff water from leaking into nearby streams. 

Quebec's Environment Ministry said its emergency response team, Urgence-Environnement, was aware of the fire and that a response team was on the scene performing tests. It was unclear, the ministry said, what chemicals were burning. 

Polyrheo manufactures a variety of chemicals. It's Bolton-Est facility is an "additives plant," according to the company's website. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, 

The local branch of the SQ, Quebec's provincial police force, said it had no information about the fire.