By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

The town of Bolton-Est is continuing to manage the aftermath of a major fire that destroyed the Polyrheo chemical plant on Missisquoi Road on Fri., Mar. 28. Acting mayor Pierre Lemay confirmed that cleanup efforts are progressing and that no residents have been injured or evacuated, though environmental assessments are still underway.

The fire broke out early Friday morning at the chemical additives facility and quickly grew into a multi-jurisdictional emergency. “We had all the different firemen of the different localities here. There were six localities of firemen,” said Lemay in an interview on Mar. 29. Fire departments from Austin, Potton, Eastman, Lac-Brome, and other nearby municipalities assisted in containing the blaze. Firefighters fought the flames defensively, spraying water from outside the building and using heavy machinery to pull apart burning structures.

At its peak, the fire prompted health warnings due to thick black smoke. Residents of the South Bolton area were asked to stay indoors and avoid consuming well water as a precaution. A day later, the town confirmed that water quality in the Missisquoi River had returned to normal. “We got the okay from public safety that no, it would not be affected—that the aquifer was so low that it would not go into there,” Lemay explained.

The blaze was largely extinguished by Friday afternoon. “Late afternoon it was gone, and then the road was open late evening around 9 o’clock,” said Lemay. A team of municipal employees remained on hand throughout the event to assist with potential evacuations and logistics. “We were ready for any evacuation, or making sure that if people needed a place to go, we had the place set up,” Lemay added, offering praise for town staff.

While residents appear to have been spared the worst, environmental officials remain cautious. According to the municipality’s latest public notice, specialists from the Ministries of the Environment, Public Safety and Public Health remain on site. “A team of experts is still on site to ensure that contaminants are contained within the perimeter of the company’s property, to continue securing the site and to continue the cleanup,” reads the statement.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined. “The scene has been handed over to the Ministry of the Environment,” said Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Laurie Avoine. “There is no police presence at the scene anymore, and the cause is still unknown.”

One of the most pressing questions—what chemicals were inside the facility—has only recently been partially answered. Lemay said that as of Saturday, the town had finally made contact with the owner and obtained a list of stored products. “It is with Environment Quebec right now,” he said. “I can’t really comment on what’s on the list—it’s not good, pretty much—but we’ll know more this week.”

The Quebec Environment Ministry’s mobile lab visited the site Friday to conduct environmental testing. “We still don’t have the results. It will take 24 to 72 hours,” confirmed communications councillor Marie-Eve Lambert.

To prevent runoff from entering the water system, firefighters and municipal workers dug a retention well and used absorbent barriers. “Everything is being pumped,” said Lemay. “It’s a local contractor that’s doing the work, so it’s very close—like a kilometre from the place.”

In spite of initial concern, only a small number of residents were directly affected. “We were lucky because [the smoke and runoff] were going in a very good direction where it didn’t affect many people,” Lemay said. He estimated that two households might have been directly impacted, mostly as a precaution. “There’s one that’s very close, like on the other side of the street. That probably was affected because that’s where the water is going through to get to the river.”

As of Saturday afternoon, residents had been told there was “nothing to fear for your health,” according to information provided by Public Health. Still, municipal authorities and provincial agencies continue to monitor the site and await results from environmental tests.

“The town was really well organized,” Lemay emphasized. “I can say the team did excellent work, and everything on our side is under control.”