Atlantic Aqua Farms building destroyed in fire, but wind direction helped spare nearby house

Firefighters worked hard Saturday to prevent a structure fire at Atlantic Aqua Farms in Orwell Cove, P.E.I., from spreading to a nearby home.

"Cross Roads [fire department] asked us to protect the house next to the building," said Belfast Fire Chief Jason Rector.

"There were a lot of propane tanks and other chemicals in the building and they were a little nervous going hard at it at first."

He said his department was paged to help Vernon River and Cross Roads departments with the fire Saturday morning. He said there were about eight firefighters from his department dealing with the blaze, along with about 30 others from fire departments in the area.

"Our biggest thing was protecting the house next door and the lucky thing is the wind was blowing in the right direction," he said.

Atlantic Aqua Farms markets P.E.I. mussels, oysters and clams across North America.

When Rector arrived on scene he said he could see heavy black smoke pouring into the air from the shellfish plant.

"There was a whole lot of machinery in there," Rector said. "There'd be tires and plastic boxes from the mussels. Oxygen tanks — not really sure what other chemicals were in there."

About 100 people work at the facility, including Rector's nephew, he said.

"He's out of work," he said. "I feel bad for the owners and staff."

There were no injuries in the fire, but fire officials confirmed the building is a total loss. The fire was put out around 5 p.m.

Atlantic Aqua Farms issued a written statement to CBC on Sunday morning.

"Right now the company is focused on addressing our employee and customer immediate needs, and assisting the [fire marshal's office]. No other comment at this time."

A staff member from the facility also posted on social media asking for people who work there to contact management if they wish to access an employee assistance program. That includes support such as counselling.