Nearly two and a half years after the downtown Wheatley gas explosion, Wheatley residents are now able to claim a free multi-gas alarm as Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue officials deliver and distribute 1,000 devices across the small community.
For more than two years, a melted Subway sign was a reminder to business owners like Tracey Declerk of the explosion that shook the foundation of the town of Wheatley in August of 2021.
It was two years ago the town of Wheatley changed forever after an explosion rocked the downtown core, injuring 20 people. And while progress is being made at the site of the explosion, there are still many unanswered questions and lingering trauma.
At 6:13 p.m. Friday, residents of Wheatley flipped on a lighthouse marking one year, down to the minute, that an explosion rocked the core of their community.