State Monitoring Potential for Threat from NY Fire
The fire started on Wednesday night at TCI of New York in Ghent.
Thursday, Aug 2, 2012 | Updated 1:08 PM EDT
The governor has partially activated the state’s emergency operations center to monitor a potentially hazardous cloud of smoke that has developed from an industrial fire in Ghent, New York.
The fire started on Wednesday night at TCI of New York, a transformer recycling company, in Ghent, which is located in a small industrial park amid the countryside 25 miles south of Albany. It is spewing noxious fumes.
“After assessing this potential threat with emergency management and public health officials, I have directed a partial activation of the EOC today,” Malloy said in a statement. “This will allow us to monitor current conditions and advise the public quickly if protective actions are needed. We continue to coordinate with New York and Massachusetts and will keep the media updated on any developments.”
The fire continued to burn as of Thursday morning and officials In New York have declared a state of emergency for anyone living within a half-mile radius of the building.
Emergency officials in Columbia County, New York have advised people within a 15-mile radius of the fire to remain indoors and cancel outdoor activities until further notice because of potential exposure to contaminants from the fire.
The company is located about22 miles from the Connecticut border in Salisbury.
The local EOC will be staffed by the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Division of the State Police, Department of Public Health, Department of Transportation, Military Department, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and State Fire Coordination.
