Large scrap metal fire in Montville under control
By Christine Dempsey
A massive scrap metal fire in Montville continued to burn Friday afternoon, more than 12 hours after it started.
No one was injured in the blaze at the Connecticut Scrap recycling center, 33 Pequot Road, in the Uncasville section of town. The fire was reported at 1:13 a.m. and burned well into the afternoon.
“Firefighters and assets will have been on the scene in excess of 12 hours,” Steven Frischling, Chesterfield Fire Company spokesman, said shortly before 1 p.m. “This will be an ongoing operation.”
The fire sent up a giant plumes of smoke that could be seen for miles. The 5.5-acre scrapyard is near Route 163 and I-395.
“I was coming up 395 and I just saw it looming over the highway,” Frischling said. “Given the size of the scrap yard, this was one giant fire.”
Nearby residents were told not to open their windows, although the smoke thinned out as the morning went on. Environmental officials monitored the air but didn’t detect anything dangerous.
Tankers from 13 fire departments took turns fetching water to douse the flames,
Frischling said.
The fire was declared under control, meaning it was no longer likely to increase in size or intensity, about 12:30 p.m., Frischling said.
But it still burned. Heavy equipment was being used to break up the molten metal so firefighters could douse the hot spots underneath, he said.
Will Healey, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, described the fire as “significant and very smoky,” although he said by 9:45 a.m., most of the smoke had dissipated. He said the fire was about 95% contained at that point.
Light metals, vehicles, batteries and automotive fluids, such as petroleum, burned in the fire, he said. Agency staff tested the air for volatile organic compounds and got readings that he described as “very low.”
Still, residents were advised to do their best to avoid the smoke, Healey said.
Members of the Montville Fire Department and the state police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit are investigating the fire.