The owners of an abandoned factory in Bowmanville plagued by arson over the years has been ordered to demolish the structure by April next year after another fire on Monday caused a partial collapse of the north side of the building.
Clarington Fire were called to a fire at the former Goodyear Lands in downtown Bowmanville shortly after midnight on Monday and crews remained on scene for most of the day to extinguish hot spots and monitor smoke conditions.
The former Goodyear plant, a major employer in Bowmanville for well over a century but left to wither away since shutting down operations in 2016, has been troubled by acts of vandalism and arson in the years since, including two fires – one determined to be set deliberately – in March.
A cause of Monday’s blaze has not yet been declared but fire crews did establish Monday’s blaze began on the roof, which later collapsed into the building. As a safety precaution and to help ensure the fire was fully extinguished, excavators were brought in to remove a portion of damaged wall along the north side of the building.
Firefighters found heavy black smoke and visible flames on arrival but were able to contain the blaze before it spread.
Due to the extensive damage, Clarington’s Deputy Chief Building Official has issued an ‘Order to Remedy Unsafe’ under the Ontario Building Code. This order requires the landowner to demolish the building safely by April 30, 2026, in accordance with provincial regulations to protect the local environment and community.
The Municipality of Clarington is urging residents to stay off the property as the building is “structurally unstable and extremely dangerous.”
“We are especially reminding teens and young adults not to enter the area or explore the site,” Clarington said in a statement. “It may look harmless from a distance, but hidden hazards like falling debris and unstable walls pose real risks.”
Building owner Karmina Development, which is planning a mixed-use development on the site called Goodyear Village, had already tried a partial demolition – albeit without the proper permits – last November, setting off a bit of a firestorm in the council chambers, with the municipality putting a stop to the work “as soon as it was made aware.”
Clarington council approved the demolition of all but three buildings on the site – the oldest dates back to 1897 – last year to make way for the development but Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster said last fall no demolition permit had been issued and no development plan had been approved for the site.
The back-to-back fires in the spring had then-Fire Chief David Speed calling the owners of the vacant building to ensure there is round-the-clock security to prevent further acts of vandalism and arson.
Six trucks responded to a fire set on Saturday March 13, with fire crews finding a contents fire on the third floor. No one was found inside and no injuries were reported but a spokesman for the department said the blaze appeared to be “intentionally set.”
Less than two days later fire crews were back at the building, abandoned since the tire plant closed in 2016, for another fire – this time in the office area.
The fire was extinguished quickly and everything was under control within an hour. One youth inside the building was taken to Lakeridge Health Bowmanville and treated for smoke inhalation.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber, which was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1898, expanded to Bowmanville in 1910 when the company bought the existing Durham Rubber Company (which predated Goodyear by a year) and employed as many as 2,200 workers during its peak during the Second World War.
A series of layoffs in subsequent years reduced the workforce to about 100 by the time the plant hit the century mark and slowdowns in the mining, coal and tar sands sector – the major markets for the conveyor belts made at the time in Bowmanville – contributed to the closure of the plant (now operated by ContiTech Continental) in 2016.
Karmina Developments, represented by the Biglieri Group, agreed in June of 2023 to work with the municipality to try to preserve the Cement House (Building 27), the Powerhouse (Building 1), and the Chimney Stack for its Goodyear Village development proposal and that a salvage plan and other necessary documents would be provided before any demolition would take place.
The former Goodyear lands on Raynes Avenue are located within the Bowmanville East Urban Centre Secondary area, which provides policies that will guide development in the area, including environmental studies specific to the Goodyear property.