‘Restarting process’ to blame for black smoke at Breslau facility

A smoky situation at a facility in Breslau generated some concerns in the neighbourhood.

CityNews Kitchener received multiple calls on Aug. 28 about black smoke reportedly coming from Safety-Kleen on Woolwich Street.

The Woolwich Fire Department has confirmed that it was also notified about the incident.

Fire chief Dennis Aldous said when crews arrived to the scene, they were informed the facility had experienced a prolonged power outage and the plant had to be restarted.

“The smoke was determined to be from the restarting process,” said Aldous in an e-mail statement to CityNews Kitchener.

Jim Buckley is SVP of investor relations and corporate communications at Clean Harbors, the parent company of Safety-Kleen.

“The black smoke represents no health threat to the local community or environment,” said Buckley. “It happens on occasion – during our startup process or when we are finetuning the combustion heater – but is typically short in duration.”

Buckley said the black smoke observed on Aug. 28 lasted ‘just a few minutes’ until the proper balance of air and fuels was reached.

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