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Massive fire fully engulfs Enfield mill, will be demolished

DEEP was also on the scene assessing nearby water and also air quality due to the smoke and the age of the building.

ENFIELD, Conn. — Crews were on the scene of a large fire at a mill building in the Thompsonville-section of Enfield on Wednesday morning. 

Video taken by Deputy Chief Mark Zarcaro, of the Hazardville Fire Department, shows flames shooting out of the windows of the building on North River Street. 

According to Zarcaro, they received an alert about the fire around 6:40 a.m. 

When the fire chief from the Thompsonville fire district arrived along with other crews, they found the building fully involved. Thompsonville Fire Chief Dave Deskis said every floor had fire coming out of it. 

Credit: Hazardville Fire Department
Credit: Hazardville Fire Department

Deskis said there were reports of people around the building this morning but the fire marshal is investigating and cannot confirm the cause of the fire at this time. 

Amtrak service had been cut for nearly a full day while crews worked on the scene.

More than 541 customers lost power out according to Eversource, but power has been restored to majority of customers at this time. Deskis said they can't allow trains until the tracks have been cleared of debris.

At this time no injuries have been reported. 

DEEP is also on the scene assessing nearby water and also air quality due to the smoke and the age of the building.

In a statement, DEEP reported the town of Enfield has retained a contractor to conduct environmental remediation.

"Some of the building materials contain asbestos, so the contractor will conduct air monitoring of the area. Run-off is going into the nearby Connecticut River, though no oil sheen or fishkill has been observed at this time,"  officials wrote.

According to DEEP, the mill will need to be demolished and another contractor has been retained to conduct demolition and asbestos abatement. DEEP says they will also supervise those activities.

Water samples were taken from the site of the fire and given to a laboratory for testing, says DEEP. 

DEEP officials will stay on the scene "for the duration while any activities that may generate dust or vapors may occur."

Part of the building did collapse, said Deskis, and the town's building department is on the scene to assess the damage.

The building used to be a casket factor but in recent years may have been used for other things, though it's uncertain at this time. It is owned by the town of Enfield.

Credit: Google
Google Streetview of mill from Sept 2012

Historians say the building was built in 1915 and housed a number of businesses over the years, including making hardware for caskets.

In 2005, it was sold to the Town of Enfield for potential use as a commuter rail station and community hub, according to CT Mills — Making Places of Connecticut.  

This is a developing story.

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