The cause of a large fire and explosions at Superior Propane in south-Barrie one week ago will be ruled accidental, says an official with the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) at the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General.

“The fire will be ruled accidental, as the actual source of the leak is not known,” spokesperson Aman Kainth told BarrieToday in an email this morning. “Due to the damage caused by the fire and explosions, it is difficult to narrow down.”

Kainth also said the damage estimate is approximately $1 million.

He was unable to provide more details.

Emergency crews were sent to the Superior Propane facility, located at 789 Bayview Dr., at about 1:45 p.m. on Friday, July 30 as plumes of thick, black smoke ascended in the area near Mapleview Drive and Highway 400. Witnesses described flames reaching 15 to 20 feet high.

The fire and resulting explosions from smaller tanks were also captured on video.

Fire officials have said their main concern was the two large 30,000-gallon propane tanks at the facility near Lockhart Road, which were blackened and had the paint peeled off due to the nearby heat.

Barrie firefighters were able to bring the blaze quickly under control and sprayed the larger tanks with water from a distance to keep them cool.

Officials have also said the two employees working on site properly followed their response plan and got out of the potentially dangerous situation quickly and called 911, ensuring there were no injuries.

As a precaution, emergency personnel evacuated numerous businesses in a one-kilometre radius around the fire scene to create a safety zone.

Earlier this week, Superior Propane’s emergency response team, along with Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) representatives, were removing the propane from the large tanks and undamaged tanks from the site.

A crew from the Emergency Response Assistance Canada, a not-for-profit emergency preparedness and response organization supported by the propane industry, was also on hand working with Superior Propane to mitigate the risk.