'Catastrophic' fire at AIM could happen again, task force says in harrowing account

The task force examining the fire that burned for two days at American Iron and Metal in Saint John says future fires at the scrapyard are likely, and "a catastrophic fire similar to that of Sept. 14, 2023, could recur."

It also found that AIM's waterfront location, not far from hundreds of west side homes, is "entirely inappropriate given its now known hazards and risks."

Findings of the task force were announced by Attorney General Ted Flemming during a live-streamed event on Tuesday morning.

The report paints a disturbing picture of the circumstances surrounding the fire and how close the impact came to being "disastrous" for the community.

WATCH | Why Saint John's west side could have lost its water supply in AIM fire: 

How much water was used to put out the AIM fire?

1 year ago

Duration 1:36

Putting out the September fire at American Iron and Metal in Saint John required millions of gallons of water — and some sheer luck.

Flemming stressed these were findings and not recommendations and said the task force did not have the power or the mandate to shut down the recycling plant.

That decision, he said, rests with regulatory authorities, who will get the task force report. 

In the meantime, AIM operations "are still suspended and will remain suspended until proper work has been done."

CBC contacted AIM's Montreal headquarters for comment, but no one has made available for an interview. 

Premier Blaine Higgs announced the task force while the fire was still burning and promised the investigation would "get to the bottom" of what happened and determine whether "that operation fit to be operating where it is today?"

'Profound impacts on our community'

No one was injured in the fire, but it produced a hazardous smoke that wafted over the city and provoked a city advisory that residents take shelter or wear masks.

The fire "had profound impacts on our community," said the task force's final report .

"Emergency orders were issued. Residents were ordered to shelter in-place. Schools and businesses were closed, impacting the local economy and a sizeable portion of the downtown workforce.

"Air quality warnings required hospitals and other buildings to restrict air flow to protect vulnerable residents, while the public sheltered indoors and watched with mounting alarm as the fire sent plumes of toxic smoke, ash and soot throughout the City of Saint John and beyond." 

Flemming said over the years, there have been 181 explosions and 22 fires at the recycling plant.

The report highlighted a number of problems leading up to the Sept. 14 fire, including the company's initial environment impact assessment, which "did not adequately address key environmental issues or events such as fires, explosions, and the potential release of contaminating substances."

It also said the company's operations and risks are "significantly different than those AIM presented at the time it obtained its regulatory approval."

While the exact cause and origin of the fire was inconclusive, Flemming said investigators believe the likely cause was related to rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which were found at the site of the fire.

Flemming said fire broke out at 1:18 a.m. on Sept. 14 and the situation soon became "more and more dangerous with random explosions, flying projectiles, and water demand and capacity becoming critical  with respect to firefighting."

Had it not been for the presence of the Atlantic Osprey, a platform supply vessel owned by J.D. Irving Ltd. and equipped to fight fires on oil rigs, Flemming said the fire "would have burned for upwards of one week." 

He said 83 million litres of water were poured on the fire — 64 million of them from seawater pumped by the Osprey and 7.5 million from another Irving-owned vessel. 

That means 11 million litres came from the city's Lancaster Reservoir, said Flemming,

That reservoir "was drained by almost half of its capacity in the first six hours of the firefighting effort. This could not have been maintained very much longer without critically affecting the water supply of west Saint John," he said.

"Had the Osprey not been in port on September 14th, 2023, the repercussions for the community would have been disastrous." 

All that water had to go somewhere, said Flemming, and most of it washed back into the harbour.

He said initial testing found contamination "at levels exceeding criteria that may pose a risk to human and ecological health." He said further testing is required to determine the "complete extent and severity of the contamination." 

Flemming said testing was done at a number of community gardens "for a variety of metals and chemicals that might be expected to be found following the fire and does not suggest that soil quality was affected to the extent that it would be a concern for people's health."

Reaction to the report

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon has repeatedly said AIM should be moved — at the very least. 

She said heavy industry should never be located so close to residential neighbourhoods and recreational facilities. As the report indicated, there were 308 homes within a 300-metre radius of the plant. 

"It just doesn't fit," said Reardon. 

"The planning documents today would never recommend heavy industry and residential living side by side because it doesn't work. They can't get along. They have completely different interests."

Even without the fire, Reardon said, there was still the constant noise with the shredder and the lights and the dust. 

Reardon hopes the regulators now have all the data they need to at least move AIM from its current location. 

In an emailed statement on Tuesday afternoon, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said department officials are "reviewing the Task Force's report and will identify next steps that should be taken within the parameters of the Salvage Dealer's Licensing Act and the National Fire Code."

"Inspectors with the department have inspected every active licensed salvage dealer in New Brunswick (87) over the last four days and found all but 10 are in compliance with their obligations. Followup inspections are being completed at those 10 salvage dealers Wednesday and Thursday, and all 10 will be brought into compliance."

Too-large scrap piles, among task force's findings

The task force released 12 findings:

• The environmental impact assessment submitted by AIM in 2010 did not adequately address key issues or events such as fires, explosions, and the potential release of contaminating substances.
• AIM's operations and its risks are significantly different from those AIM presented at the time it obtained its regulatory approval to operate an industrial metal shredder and expanded its site more than sixfold.
• The scrap metal piles maintained by AIM exceeded the size recommended by the national fire code by two to 2 to 2½ times.
• AIM did not, have an emergency plan capable of effectively responding to the Sept. 14 fire or a similar fire in the future.
• The Saint John Fire Department doesn't have the equipment or resources to effectively respond to a fire like the one at AIM.
• The City of Saint John water resources are not sufficient to effectively respond to such a fire.
• Had the Osprey — which played major role in putting out the fire with seawater — not been in port that day, the repercussions for the community would have been disastrous.
• The AIM site was contaminated as a result of the fire. Contaminants were also released into the air and the water, and significant additional testing and analysis is required to assess the existence and scope of the impact.
• AIM operations carry a significant risk of explosion and fire, with a high likelihood of future fires at the AIM site, including a material risk that a catastrophic fire similar to the one Sept. 14 could happen.
• The location of the AIM operation, in the middle of the Saint John community, adjacent to the harbour and a residential neighbourhood, is entirely inappropriate given its now known hazards and risks.
• The negative socio-economic impacts of the AIM operations at its present site are unacceptable to the City of Saint John, its residents, and surrounding communities.
• The AIM operations are an environmental, health and safety risk to Saint John, surrounding communities and their citizens

The province required a preliminary report from AIM, which said the fire was first discovered at about 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 14 by an industrial mechanic working overnight on maintenance of the shredder. 

The employee "noticed an odour" and "proceeded to investigate." That's when he saw the flames coming from the "in-feed scrap pile. He immediately alerted 911, followed by the site manager."

Flemming said the task force will deliver its report and its findings to a number of other parties, including AIM, and various federal and provincial departments and agencies. 

It will be up to them to "assess the risk and if they decide the fate of AIM, that's theirs to do." 

Each of those parties has its own mandates to follow, he said

"This I will know — that this isn't going to happen again," Flemming said.