'Very concerned': Wildlife group says ducks and fish dying in wake of runoff from fire at Etobicoke chemical company

The Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC) says several ducks and thousands of fish have died in the wake of a massive fire at a chemical distribution company in Etobicoke last week and rescuers are working to save dozens of other animals which have been affected.

The six-alarm fire broke out at Brenntag Canada at 35 Vulcan Street around 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 11. following some sort of explosion in an adjacent tractor trailer, according to officials.

It was complicated by thousands of litres of chemicals on site and crews remain at the scene to put out hotspots days later.

Over the weekend, TWC said that it was working to help a number of animals after runoff from the fire seeped into the Mimico Creek.

The group said it took in 24 ducks on Saturday and 25 more on Sunday. Four of those ducks have since died.

Thousands of fish have also died from the spill, they estimate, and other animals such as frogs, beavers, muskrats and turtles are also impacted.

The group is working to clean the animals and to provide them with medical assistance, but can't release them until they know there is a clean area to release them to.

TWC said teams are working at four different locations which have been impacted, including Tom Riley Park. They’re asking anyone in the area who notices animals shaking their wings and preening to contact them.

Area residents told CP24 they’re concerned about the impact of the fire on the local environment.

“We have a lot of wildlife in here, such as skunks and rabbits, and we have ducks. And I was looking as I'm walking, no sign of the ducks,” one woman said. “I’m very, very concerned. The chemicals have really polluted this river. And I think we need to get a team in here.”

Another man said the fumes from the pollution are evident in the park

“I came over this morning and you just walk into the parking lot and you can smell the fumes,” he said. “And apparently it was downstream and it's gonna keep on going until somebody cleans it up and we should be concerned.”

In a statement to CP24, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said it “takes all spills and threats to the natural environment very seriously.”

The ministry said that it is working to ensure that those responsible take all measures necessary to restore the environment, and that its personnel are on scene to monitor the situation in conjunction with the municipality, Brenntag Canada and the company’s spill cleanup contractor.

“Currently, containment and cleanup locations have been set up downstream of the Humber Creek and Mimico Creek. Measures include, placing booms, haybales, installing underflow dams, deploying vacuum trucks to collect the oil slurry and diverting discharges from reaching the creeks,” the ministry said in its statement.

“The containment and cleanup efforts appear to be effective in controlling any further release of the emulsified oily runoff. The ministry has not observed any impacts to the Humber River nor Lake Ontario from the spill.”

The ministry said it does not anticipate any impacts to the municipal drinking water supply either.

In a statement to CP24.com, Brenntag said it is “cooperating completely” with the authorities.

“We take and support all necessary measures to minimize the impact on the environment, including supporting the Toronto Wildlife Center,” the company said.

It said that it has been monitoring air and water quality and is “committed to conducting a thorough investigation” to determine the cause of the fire.

“Brenntag has been in the chemical distribution business for over 70 years and is fully committed to the safety of our neighbors and our employees. In line with our core value “Safety First”, we continually strive to improve all aspects of our health and safety performance with the ultimate goals of zero incidents,” the company’s statement read. “We thank all the local emergency teams and organizations for their quick and professional support.”

Tim Gray, executive director of Environmental Defence Canada, told CP24 that the spill is immediately toxic to aquatic life such as fish and frogs, but that it will also be passed on to other animals through the food chain.

“All of these toxic chemicals and oil can move up through the food chain,” he said.

Gray said the spill emphasizes the need to keep industry away from sensitive wildlife areas.

“This really illustrates the necessity of keeping industrial activity, human activity, as far away from possible as creeks and rivers,” he said. And of course, a bunch of the changes that are being made right now in Ontario with regard to policy are opening up wetlands for development and opening up the Greenbelt for development. Now, we're gonna see a lot more industrial activity proximate to our lakes and rivers than we have in the past and that's a real concern.”