A Bracebridge plant closed by a fire last week will continue to pay its employees until month’s end, according to a company release.
Officials with the Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting facility announced last week that due to the May 2 fire at the 700 Ecclestone Dr. facility, the business will be closed for the time being.
“Fenner Dunlop is committed to the well-being and support of our employees during this time to the best of our abilities,” the company said in a press release.
“We know this situation arose very suddenly and an immediate layoff without pay, per our employees’ collective bargaining agreement, would put our employees in a very challenging situation. Therefore, Fenner Dunlop will continue to pay employees’ wages and benefits until the end of May 2024, or until operations resume, whichever comes sooner.”
The release went on to state the company will then reassess its ability to sustain wage continuation without production beyond the end of May 2024, if the disruption continues beyond that point.
Emergency crews were called to the Bracebridge building around 11:20 p.m. May 2.
Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in the roof of the building, which quickly spread to interior sections of the roof structure and HVAC system, the town said.
Approximately 30 firefighters from Bracebridge were on scene until 5:30 a.m. May 3 to suppress the fire. There were no injuries as a result of the blaze.
Bracebridge fire prevention officer Kevin Plested said the fire is currently being investigated by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office. He said as of this past Monday, the Bracebridge department has cleared the scene.
“The Fire Marshal’s (office) has now concluded their on-scene stuff, and they’re just doing their other work. So the building is back to the building owner,” he said.
Plested said there is no estimation of damage yet.
“We don’t have that at this point, the building owner still has to do a good assessment of everything,” he added.
This publication reached out to the Fire Marshal’s Office for comment on the investigation. We did not receive a reply by publication time.