WATERBURY — Two firefighters were injured in a blaze at an abandoned brass factory in Waterbury’s South End Saturday evening, according to the city’s fire department.
One suffered from dehydration, and the other was hit with debris while working on the fire, Waterbury Deputy Fire Chief John Perugini said in a phone call Monday morning. Both have since been treated and released from the hospital, according to Perugini.
Firefighters were dispatched to South Main Street, near River and Washington streets, around 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the report of a building fire. Arriving crews found heavy fire at the vacant, derelict factory previously owned by the Waterbury Companies, Inc., which produced brass and other materials, Perugini said. He said firefighters immediately worked to prevent the blaze from spreading to the neighboring three- and four-story wood-framed residential buildings.
“It was a very big fire — taking off,” Perugini said. “The place was soaked in oil from 100 years of industry.”
Perugini said the fire was almost immediately elevated to a second alarm, which resulted in calling in mutual aid from Naugatuck, Cheshire and Middlebury. After some time, a general alarm was called, and every company in the city was called to the scene, according to Perugini.
“That volume of fire with a place that big — just to get a handle on it required all the resources we had,” Perugini added.
Fire crews were at the scene until Sunday afternoon. Even after the bulk of the fire was put out, they continued checking for hotspots and extinguishing flare-ups because things would reignite, Perugini said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire marshal’s office. Since the building was vacant with no power going to it, and it was not occupied, Perugini said the fire was likely started by people.
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