Last week we reported on a ‘Ball of Fire’ from a Smart Meter Explosion at a home in Ontario, Canada.  Today the local media ran a story with a photo capturing the remnants of the smart meter for the Collingwood home.

In an Editorial Opinion for the Collinwood Enterprise-Bulletin it was concluded that:  “Next time we might not be so lucky.”

This deduction accounts for the fact that the smart meter explosion resulting in a sustained ‘ball of fire’ happened to be located on the exterior of a brick home (rather than a wooden home) and did not ignite the gas line which was situated a few feet from the smart meter.

As written in the Enterprise-Bulletin:

“Collus VP of Operations Larry Irwin wrote in a June 9 e-mail to the Enterprise-Bulletin that the meter appears to have melted from a heat source and added ‘I’m not an explosive expert, but to me, the meter in question does not appear to have exploded.  That said, I’m sure the ESA and the manufacturer will likely give a thorough explanation after they have completed their respective reviews.’

Onyskiw said she saw it exploding, and a large burn mark was clearly visible on the side of their home the next day, indicative of an explosion and intense fire.

Irwin further said ‘it appears that the heat source was somewhere below the meter and the meter base adapter and was not the meter itself.’

First of all, what happened to letting the ESA reach official conclusions before speculating?

Secondly, as Onyskiw said previously in comments for our story, the idea that the problem could be related to another facet of the smart meter’s installation is not reassuring.

These devices were put in by government mandate and people have every right to know if they are being exposed to potential danger (not to mention unfairly increased hydro rates) because of a supposedly innovative piece of technology.

‘I just don’t have enough information to comment on it at this point,’ Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said of the smart meter fire June 6 in response to a question from the Enterprise-Bulletin following her remarks at the Ontario Liberal AGM [Annual General Meeting] at Blue Mountain.

Wynne’s deferral of comment characterized the AGM as a whole, which was full of self-congratulatory hyperbole and partial truths, presenting canned narratives on tough choices to mask the political fallout of recent decisions unpopular on Ontario’s left and right.  There weren’t a lot of answers on anything.”

So far it is not encouraging that Collus VP of Operations Larry Irwin would speculate and plant the seed that “the meter in question does not appear to have exploded.”  This statement fully contradicts the media reporting and eyewitness account.  Did the meter also not catch fire and the photo shown at the beginning of this article is just a figment of our imagination?

If you missed our previous reporting on the vivid account of the smart meter fire by one of the homeowners (based upon an interview on Talk Radio AM 640 in Toronto), it is worth a listen:

[The above audio/video may contain material used pursuant to the Fair Use Doctrine under 17 U.S.C. 107.  It is presented in the public’s interest for non-commercial purposes.]

Quotes from Veronica Onyskiw:

“I looked out the back window in time to see the reflection of this huge ball of fire; it lit up the back garage, the entire back yard, and I could see red sparks reflected in the glass windows of the garage. …  I was terrified.”

“What is this?  What happened [Veronica said to the fire department responders]?  They said it’s your hydro meter.  He said you have a smart meter.”

“This is a very real and a very serious problem. … I think it requires a full government investigation.  We all have these things attached to our homes.”

“If our house had been a wooden structure and not a brick structure, the fire captain told us our house would be gone and we wouldn’t be alive.  Now that’s a pretty serious fire risk in my opinion.”

“None of us were asked our permission to have these things put in.”

Source Material for this Article

“Smarten up on smart meters,” at http://www.theenterprisebulletin.com/2015/06/10/smarten-up-on-smart-meters

Previous Reporting on this Smart Meter Fire and Explosion

“Updated: Homeowner’s Vivid Account of Smart Meter Explosion in Ontario plus Initial Government Reaction,” at https://smartgridawareness.org/2015/06/05/update-homeowner-account-of-smart-meter-explosion-in-ontario/

“‘Ball of Fire’ from Smart Meter Explosion,” at https://smartgridawareness.org/2015/06/03/ball-of-fire-from-hydro-smart-meter/