Wheatley state of emergency lifted

WHEATLEY — The state of emergency declared in downtown Wheatley on June 2 is now lifted.

The announcement was made by Mayor Darrin Canniff’s office on Monday, June 28.

Originally put in place during the afternoon of June 2, the accompanying evacuation order was lifted on Saturday, June 19, but the state of emergency remained in effect until Monday.

Several businesses were closed for 17 days, with 27 residents also put out of their homes on a moment’s notice on June 2.

At issue was a hydrogen sulphide gas leak. Crews descended upon Wheatley, as hydro and gas supplies were shut off to the block involved.

It is suspected that an old decommissioned gas or water well is the culprit.

Around-the-clock monitoring of gas levels were made in the immediate vicinity and the power remained shut off until the 19th when power was restored to the majority of the buildings and homes. Two businesses remained locked out of their buildings pending further inspections.

Although the issue did not appear to be solved, Chatham-Kent officials felt it was time to let people back into their homes with a warning to keep an eye on the levels going forward.