Wildfire at Ontario wind farm construction site on Henvey Inlet First Nation under investigation
2018Published 14 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Henvey Inlet First Nation land in Ontario
- What
- Wildfire at wind farm construction site
- Cause
- Not reported
- Outcome
- Project temporarily shut down
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): C.E.R. Construction, Pattern Development, Pattern Energy Group
What happened
A wildfire began in July 2018 at the site of a large wind project under construction on Henvey Inlet First Nation land in Ontario, described in reporting as Ontario's largest wind project. Workers who spoke anonymously to CBC News said crews continued rock blasting and heavy machinery work despite a region-wide fire ban, and that machinery had set off a number of small fires during the preceding week. One of these fires was said to have grown beyond the control of on-site suppression equipment.
Pattern Energy Group LP and its affiliate Pattern Development, the developer, temporarily shut down the project and said in a statement that it had seen no direct evidence of a link between the fire and its construction activities, that it was operating within ministry guidelines and protocols, and that its contractors had fire prevention plans. The developer also said the project and its general contractor, Quebec-based C.E.R. Construction, are insured.
Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said the cause was not yet known and opened an investigation into whether construction crews were involved. The reported worker accounts are allegations and were not confirmed at the time of reporting.
Contributing factors
Not established. Workers alleged that blasting and heavy machinery use continued during a region-wide fire ban and that earlier small fires had started beside blasting mats, and said schedule pressure included seven-day work weeks with night shifts under consideration. One worker said the 20-litre suppression pack carried on site was not enough once the fire grew. The developer disputed any direct link to its activities and the ministry investigation outcome was not reported.
Lessons learned
- Blasting and heavy machinery work during a fire ban can start small fires that grow beyond on-site suppression, so crews must stop such work when a ban is in force.
- Small fires started by machinery need formal escalation, as repeated ignitions beside blasting mats show a control failure.
- A 20-litre suppression pack is not enough for fires in forested terrain, so provision must match the credible worst case.
More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the wildfire
- Outcome of the ministry investigation
- Downtime and cost to the project
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-14. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
