Fire services in St. Catharines sues hazmat company on 84 counts for death of a worker

“The charges laid in connection with the Keefer Road incident underscore our commitment to keeping our community safe” - St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper 

The Fire Services in the Canadian city of St. Catharines has laid 84 charges against Ssonix Products 2010 Inc. and its three directors in relation to an explosion that killed one of its workers in January.

A hazardous waste management company and its owners are facing 84 charges after a series of explosions occurred earlier this year, killing a worker and triggering nearby homes to be evacuated in St. Catharines, Ontario, the CBC reported on September 8. 

The explosion occurred on January 12, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. A 37-year-old male worker was the only person in the building at the time of the explosion. The worker was rushed to hospital with "significant burns", and died later died from his injuries, Fire Chief Dave Upper previously said to the CBC. 

Each of the three directors of the hazardous materials facility has been charged with 21 offences under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, which falls under the Provincial Offences Act,  Firefighting in Canada reported on September 7. 

“The charges laid in connection with the Keefer Road incident underscore our commitment to keeping our community safe,” St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper recently said in a news release.

The first court appearance is scheduled for the end of September.

The Ontario Fire Marshal is still conducting an investigation into the explosions.

St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2017, St. Catherines has an area of 96.13 square kilometres (37.12 sq mi) and 140,370 residents.

Photo Credit: By Municipal Affairs and Housing - St. Catharines Downtown | Centre-ville de St. Catharines, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97516767