Tuesday June 2, 2026, commercial heat treater "IMT Elemental" (formerly H & S Heat Treating) in Port Robinson, Ontario, Canada suffered what can only be described as a "devasting" fire, we have this report from "Niagara This Week.com" ;

"JUNE 3; There were no injuries — though damage is expected to be in the millions of dollars — after fire broke out at a Thorold heat-treating facility Tuesday night. At 10:49 p.m., Thorold firefighters were called to IMT Elemental, the former H&S Heat Treatment plant at 133 South St. N. in Port Robinson. Fire Chief Terry Dixon said the fire originated with one of the burners used to heat metals to strengthen them.

The plant was in operation at the time, and employees evacuated once the fire broke out. The fire was contained to the single burner on the main floor but spread up into the second floor where employee lockers are located. Dixon said firefighters had to attack the blaze from the inside where they encountered a great deal of flames and smoke.

He said the fire was considerable, and crews were on the scene for roughly five hours before it could be confirmed extinguished. "Those are big burners, they get very hot," he said. "It takes a lot of water to put them out." Dixon didn't have an exact figure for a damage estimate but said the equipment alone is worth millions of dollars."

While details are scarce, one estimate suggested damages could exceed $7 million. The understanding of "The Monty Heat Treat News" is that the fire started in the batch IQ department which consists of five 36" X 72" X 36" furnaces and spread from there. We believe that all of these furnaces and a continuous furnace in the same building were very extensively damaged and are currently out of commission.

Over the past several years the Ontario market (the manufacturing heart of Canada and the center of the auto industry) has seen the loss of a substantial amount of commercially available atmosphere heat treating. As an example in 2025 "Cambridge Heat Treating" in Cambridge, Ontario closed with the subsequent loss of 5 large batch IQ furnaces.

With the heat-treating capacity of "IMT Elemental" not currently available a number of local manufacturers are scrambling to find alternate heat-treating sources which is not readily available. While "The Monty" is well aware that over the course of the next 6 months five or six 36" X 48" X 36" Batch IQ units will be brought on line in Ontario, this is small consolation to manufacturers looking for heat treat capacity today. As an example, capacity in the province is in such short supply currently that at least one in-house heat treater is considering entering the commercial heat treatment market with their open capacity.

We will keep you updated on this story.

About "IMT Elemental" (Formerly H & S Heat Treating); At IMT Elemental, we pride ourselves on being the ultimate solution for all your heat-treating needs. We offer highly efficient and reliable services to meet the diverse requirements of various industries.

Our expertise spans a wide range of sectors, including aircraft, agriculture, armament, automotive, environment, fastener, oil & gas, general engineering, mining, and nuclear energy.

Our customers enjoy the benefits of our integrated production facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Under the IMT umbrella, we bring together heat treating, machining, forging, and finishing capabilities, ensuring a seamless and high-quality production process.

Using a combination of open fire and controlled atmosphere furnaces in our Port Robinson facility, we are capable of processing work continuously at rates up to 4000 pounds per hour and sizes ranging in weight up to 5000 pounds and stress relieving capacity to 20,000 pounds.