Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services have added up the total number of 911 calls they received during the ice storm this week, and confirm the phone lines were burning up.
On Friday afternoon, fire officials reported that high winds and heavy ice accumulations across the Municipality, especially south of the 401, kept fire crews hopping for 48 hours.
They noted over a hundred calls for service were due to downed wires, transformer fires, and fallen trees, adding that 80 of them were on Wednesday evening when the storm peaked in Chatham-Kent.
Fire crews also responded to two house fires, which were made more challenging because of the icy weather conditions. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the fires and they were quickly extinguished.
“Firefighters, dispatchers, officers, and chiefs along with partners have shown tremendous efforts in protecting their community,” said Fire Chief Chris Case. “I would like to thank them all for their dedication and perseverance in keeping their community safe during another significant weather event.”
Assistant Fire Chief Ken Labonte also said he was very proud of his crews and community partners.
Fire dispatchers took nearly 1,500 calls during the storm, according to Chatham-Kent Fire.
Fire officials noted crews from Entegrus and Hydro One worked in difficult conditions to restore power. As of late Friday afternoon, Entegrus said their power outages were all restored. Hydro One still had pockets without power across Chatham-Kent, but they were projected to be restored by 6 p.m.
Emergency management officers from the municipality and the province also monitored the situation to respond to any significant community risks.
It was the second significant storm of the winter to hit Chatham-Kent.
