Fire shuts down QM Plastics, forces evacuations

A huge fire broke out at the Tecumseh, Ont., plant of injection molder and thermoformer QM Plastics on the night of Sunday, July 23, shutting down the facility and forcing the evacuation of nearby residents.
The fire, which is estimated to have caused millions of dollars in damage, started at approximately 10:00 pm, apparently in an injection molding machine, and burned for 20 hours.
No employees were injured during the fire.
Residents have since been allowed to return to their homes, but have been told to avoid breathing outside air feared to be toxic.
Fire inspectors weren’t able to get into the remains of the building until Tuesday, July 25.
The Tecumseh plant built plastic parts for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) made at the Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing Inc. plant in Timmonsville, Ont.
Officials from Honda are also inspecting the damage. “We do have a team there in Lakeshore right now,” said Dane Espenschied, assistant vice president and plant manager at Honda’s Timmonsville plant. “They’ve been there since Monday morning to assess things, and we’re getting reports from them every couple of hours. Our plan is to continue operating.”
“We’re assessing the situation right now, trying to determine the effects it will have on our production,” Jeff Helton, of Honda of South Carolina, said.
QM Plastics has five North American facilities: three in the Windsor area; one located in Melvindale, Mich.; and one in Orangeburg, S.C.