The fire occurred at TopLine Farms in Leamington, Ont.
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A weekend fire at a southwestern Ontario produce plant caused millions of dollars in damage.
Leamington Fire Services responded to a fire around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday at a location that matched the address of TopLine Farms, a commercial vegetable greenhouse operation.
The Kingsville Fire Department provided assistance controlling the blaze and the Salvation Army assisted afterwards.
Fire and cleanup crews cleared the scene around 10 p.m. They remained on site assessing structure and product damage until about 1:00 a.m. Sunday, and determined a probable cause.
The “suspected cause (is an) improperly discarded cigarette,” Leamington Fire Services posted on Twitter yesterday.
The fire caused about $2.3 million worth of damage, the fire department said on Twitter. A sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained, it added.
No one sustained any injuries during the fire.
The fire at TopLine Farms was one of several blazes firefighters responded to over the last couple of days.
On Thursday, Norfolk Fire & Rescue responded to a fire near Delhi, Ont. after a bale of straw caught fire. A farmer was trying to load the straw into an incinerator.
Dry grass in the area caught fire. When the front-end loader the farmer was driving stalled, it also became engulfed in flames.
Damages in that fire are estimated around $300,000.
And on Tuesday, firefighters responded to a situation near Arthur after 1:00 p.m.
Two barns on the same farm became engulfed in flames. The farmer had a burn permit for one barn, but embers and dry conditions caused the other barn to catch fire.
Use the Forest Fire Info Map to find out where fire restrictions are in place.