Fire messes up East End sewage treatment project

There's no word so far on whether construction timelines will be affected after two critical pieces of the City's new East End Sewage Treatment Plant were heavily damaged by a suspicious fire early this Easter Sunday.

Numerous vigilant neighbours in the golf club area called in fire alarms shortly after 3 a.m. when they noticed flames coming from the construction site on Queen Street East.

Firefighters found two four-foot diameter, 60-foot pieces of PVC pipe on fire.

The pipe, shipped to Sault Ste. Marie as a special order, was lying on the ground awaiting installation and no buildings were damaged by the fire.

Fifteen fire personnel attended in two pumpers and a rescue truck.

It took two hours to extinguish the fire.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office was contacted in view of the "major loss" of the costly pieces of special pipe, considered a critical part of the sewage treatment plant project.

The fire is considered suspicious and the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is involved in the investigation.

This incident was one of two unrelated calls that Sault firefighters received within a few minutes of each other early this morning.

To read about the other fire, please click here.