‘Unlikely’ series of events sparked blast at pot production facility: CEO

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A fire at a pot production plant east of London ignited a fuel source near the extraction area and caused an explosion, says the company’s chief executive.

Emergency crews responded Monday around 7:20 p.m. to a fire and explosion at JC Green Cannabis Co. at 17406 Evelyn Dr. in Thorndale, the Thames Centre fire department said.

Nobody was injured but the blast and blaze caused $5-million damage, the Ontario Provincial Police said.

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“The fire was caused by an unfortunate and unlikely sequence of events that led to an ignition source igniting a fuel source in or around our cannabis extraction facility,” JC Green chief executive Robert O’Neill said in a statement Friday.

“I’m very proud of our dedicated staff members who were on site at the time; they followed procedures and took the correct precautions to avoid injuries.”

The Ministry of Labour sent inspectors to the scene, but determined the Office of the Fire Marshal would be the primary investigator, a ministry spokesperson said.

The ministry didn’t issue any fines or orders, O’Neill said, adding more information will be available when the fire marshal releases its report.

Investigators have now returned the building – the former Leesboro elementary school that shuttered in 2009 – over to JC Green. Areas used for extraction, processing and storage were damaged, said O’Neill, who attended the Evelyn Drive school as a child.

“Health Canada and the (Canada Revenue Agency) have been contacted to assist in the handling and destruction of damaged cannabis products and ensure we are fully compliant,” he said, adding the company is dealing with “intermittent supply issues of certain products” and has been in contact with its partners.

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Founded in 2016 by O’Neill, the privately owned company operates a 20,000-square-foot growing facility, located on a 10-acre farm.

O’Neill didn’t say when the business would be operational again.

“We are in the midst of expanding our facility as well as now rebuilding the damaged space and will return to full capacity and increased capacity in very short order,” he said.

O’Neill also thanked firefighters – departments from Thames Centre, Zorra and London worked together to battle the blaze – for their quick response and efforts.

The fire at JC Green comes amid ongoing struggles for the cannabis industry in Southwestern Ontario, a region that was once home to more than a dozen licensed pot producers that employed more than 2,300 workers.

Last month, London-based Indiva announced it had been granted creditor protection and planned to sell the business. The company, the leading maker of cannabis-infused edibles in Canada, revealed in April it had accumulated debt of $71.6 million.

In 2022, Entourage Health, formerly WeedMD, closed its indoor growing facilities in Strathroy and Guelph, and Strathroy-based Eve and Co., a female-focused cannabis company, was granted creditor protection.

dcarruthers@postmedia.com
@DaleatLFPress

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