More residents are returning home and having their utilities restored, as work on properties in the Wheatley evacuation zone continues.
Municipal officials said the clean-up and restoration of utilities to properties formerly in the zone will continue this week.
As of Tuesday, a total of 14 residents had their electricity restored while 10 had their water turned on. Three dumpsters were also placed outside the evacuation zone to help residents with any cleanup.
"At this time, residents are not being billed for water usage," read the latest release from the municipality. "Portable washroom facilities have been made available for residents who are working on their properties but haven't had water restored."
The evacuation zone put in place following an explosion in downtown Wheatley on August 26 was reduced earlier this month.
Chatham-Kent Public Works Director Ryan Brown said officials are currently looking at data from two incidents involving the release of a low level of combustible gas that took place last week.
"There was a release of gas Friday morning and a second that night that lasted until Saturday morning," said Brown. "In both cases, the systems, procedures, and venting stack in place worked according to design."
Chatham-Kent Fire Chief Chris Case said fire and emergency services provided additional resources and air monitoring around the perimeter of the evacuation zone to ensure safety.
"There are valid reasons why we have been on site non-stop since gas was detected last June," said Case. "Although there was no threat to public safety on the weekend, we cannot let our guard down. We will remain in place until such time as the situation is resolved."
The last release of gas at APEC 1 was in November 2021.
