Dunnville inferno damage estimate: millions

(Updated)

An overnight fire at a greenhouse complex in Dunnville has caused damage estimated to be in the tens-of-millions of dollars.

The blaze broke out at Rosa Flora greenhouses around 1 am, destroying dozens of greenhouses. The environment ministry was called in to assess contamination to a local creek and air quality in the area.

One of the first things CHCH News reporter Perdita Felicien noticed when she arrived on scene this morning is the acrid smell in the air. It’s the smell of burning plastic, fertilizer and other chemicals, and it just saturates the air.

John Beals of the Ministry of the Environment says the air quality is fine, the plume has dissipated and is no longer an issue. However they did collect multiple water samples. Beals says it could be weeks until they know how the fire has affected the local creek.

Firefighters from Haldimand and Wainfleet battled the raging inferno that destroyed 15 acres of the greenhouse complex. Their production logistics and sales space are now charred ruins.

Rosa Flora co-owner Ralph DeBoer: “We have to assess the damage and decide how to move forward.”

The company employs 150-180 employees and some of them could be out of work.

“In this section, in the production area I’m guessing there were probably 20-30 employees.”

Rosa Flora is a family-run business that celebrated its 35th anniversary last year. This fire will have consequences for other local greenhouses and businesses as well, like Ed Feenstra’s Feenstra Flowers.

“It’s a direct impact on us. We move our product through them and of course losing their whole office complex trucks will definitely impact us.”

The loss affects 30 per cent of Rosa Flora’s operations and damage is extensive.

Haldimand county OPP office Mark Foster estimates: “numbers-wise, we’re into the millions. No actual number yet has been given.”

Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshall’s officer were on site. They’re called in when fire damage is over $500,000 or deemed suspicious. But Foster cautions: “at this point its too early in the investigation to call it suspicious. We’ll look at every aspect of this fire to determine what happened.”

For Rosa Flora, they are determined to move forward. “The rest of the operation on the other side of the road is status quo. It’s business as usual. We’re working with our customers to ensure we still service them.”