The cause of the fire that destroyed the fish plant in St. Mary’s this week remains under investigation.
RCMP Corporal Jesse O’Donaghey says investigators are appealing for video surveillance or dash camera footage from the area just before the fire started.
“Our investigators will continue to work very closely with the Fire Commissioner’s Office. They were at the scene yesterday examining the scene with the intention of trying to determine what the cause of that fire was,” he told VOCM News.
“We’ll work closely with them as they make those determinations and determine whether or not criminality was a factor.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Sherry Gambin Walsh
MHA says local school will remain closed
Meanwhile, Dunne Academy in St. Mary’s is closed again today because of the fire.
Area MHA Sherry Gambin Walsh says the school is close to the plant and officials are concerned with the amount of smoke the building was exposed to.
She says as of last night, firefighters were still knocking down hot spots.
When she dropped by the area last night, the smell of smoke was still thick in the area, and there were still some flames visible.
The plant employed 150 local workers and even more temporary foreign workers during the summer. She says the plant was turned into a major economic driver in just a few years.
She says she and the four mayors in the region are “fairly confident that government has an understanding of the economic impact to the whole region.” She says the plant employed workers from as far as Portugal Cove South and CBS.
Premier Tony Wakeham (via Tony Wakeham on Facebook)
Premier looking at options to extend EI for affected workers
Premier Tony Wakeham has been in contact with the owner of the plant in St. Mary’s and town officials after the business burned to the ground this week.
He calls the plant’s destruction a significant loss to the community.
Wakeham says he will advocate for an extended EI program for plant workers affected by the fire.
“We have to make sure that the workers at that particular plant, who all would be right now receiving E.I. as the plant is closed, but it would be due to reopen early in March and April,” says Wakeham.
“So we have to make sure and I’ll be looking to talk to the federal minister about extending the EI program for those workers and also making sure that our federal MP does the same.”
