Some Wheatley, Ont., residents allowed in homes after explosion find sewage water, mould
CBC
There was relief — and tears — in Wheatley, Ont., as residents displaced by last summer's explosion were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday and reunite with their neighbours.
The residents have not been able to live in their properties since the August blast, and some have quite a task ahead before they can move back in.
Becky and Bugsy Lamb regained access to their property to find about 61 centimetres of sewage and water flooding their basement. Mould has seeped up and covers everything in the house.
They have a sewage pump in their basement, but with no hydro and rainwater coming in, it just filled up, the couple said.
"Today is bittersweet ... we knew what we were walking into," Becky said. "We already know that we have a lot of problems, but you know what? We're home, we're back, our neighbours are pulling up."
The Lambs' home is one of several that property restorer Jeff Medeiros expects to do work on in the community.
Some aren't so bad but others are like the Lambs, Medeiros said.
"I've been in the industry about 20 years and I've never seen anything like this."
With their house currently uninhabitable, the Lambs must wait for their insurance to decide whether it should be gutted and repaired or completely taken down. The couple would like a fresh start, with the house torn down.
"We know what we prefer because we smelled it, we were in it, but it's up to them," Becky said.
WATCH | Property restorer Jeff Medeiros says Wheatley home damage among worst he's seen:
Nearly 100 households and dozens of businesses were displaced after the explosion rocked Wheatley's downtown on Aug. 26, 2021. Crews have been investigating the source of the blast ever since.
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