A fire this week at one of P.E.I.
's major truss manufacturers will be felt in the province's construction industry, says the head of an industry association. The blaze at Valley Truss and Metal in Kensington on Tuesday evening destroyed the company's main manufacturing building. Valley Truss is one of the Island's four manufacturers of engineered floor and roof trusses for use in construction projects.
"Any time you take a major player out of the process, it certainly has a substantial impact," said Sam Sanderson, the general manager of the Construction Association of P.E.I.
"Lucky enough that we do have a number of other facilities that I'm hearing are stepping in and stepping up in traditional Island fashion." Fire engulfs truss manufacturer in central P.E.
I. town of Kensington This week's fire filled the sky with smoke as fire departments from Kensington, Summerside and New London battled the blaze. A fire levelled the main building at Valley Truss and Metal in Kensington, P.
E.I., on Tuesday evening.
(Tony Davis/CBC) The company's owners were expected to fly into P.E.I.
sometime this week to assess the damage. Sanderson said trusses are the "bones" of roofing systems that provide structural stability. They're needed for basically any structure built in the province — from single-family homes to boathouses to potato warehouses.
P.E.I.
's housing shortage has been described as being in a crisis since 2019, and Sanderson said any interruption to a key part of the supply chai.