Levi, Quebec-A major fire that broke out at about 2:30 a.m. Sept. 8 caused a total loss to building and contents at the Synagri facility here, but the fertilizer, seed, and chemical company is already rebounding by relocating temporarily not far away from the burned-out site. Because of the heavy smoke, the fire department had about 50 people evacuated from nearby residences. Others were advised to stay inside their homes if they were bothered by the smoke. A nearby high school was closed as a precaution. “Nobody was in the building at the time, so there were no injuries,” reported General Manager Jean-Claude Brulotte. “Everything was destroyed, so we have to decide about rebuilding,” Brulotte told Green Markets. “Right now we have relocated about 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, away, still on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.” He said phone lines have been transferred and customers are already being served from that location. Brulotte said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but that it started in the maintenance shop that was part of the building, indicating a possible electrical problem or something else that was being worked on at the time. There was no estimate of the losses. Afterwards, Brulotte noted, “we took care of the environment by pumping up all the water used by the firemen and storing it to be safely disposed of later.” Because it’s a slow time in agriculture, Synagri, which blends dry fertilizer and also sells seeds and agricultural chemicals, currently has about 15 employees, compared with 30 to 35 during the spring rush.
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