Crews battled a fire at a scrapyard in Waterbury for hours Thursday and officials with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said petroleum has impacted the Naugatuck River.
The fire occurred at Albert Brothers on East Aurora Street.
Albert Brothers is an industrial and retail scrap metal recycling business, according to its website. Crews who responded found a 50-foot tall pile burning, officials said. They are pulling the pile apart to put it out.
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No injuries have been reported, officials said.
Crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the National Guard also responded.
DEEP said the cause of the fire is petroleum-based, and petroleum has impacted the Naugatuck River.
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Booms are being deployed to contain run-off and DEEP has directed the property owner to hire a contractor to test samples of the impacted water.
DEEP said it is providing drone support for aerial visibility, and has enlisted the assistance of the Connecticut National Guard’s Mobile Lab for onsite air monitoring assistance/lab analysis. Wireless monitoring is being performed to check for toxic compounds.
Preliminary results from air monitoring did not detect volatile organic compounds or some of the "target toxins" they were looking for, DEEP said.
DEEP said the area of the Naugatuck River does not impact reservoirs.
Albert Bros., Inc. released a statement on the fire Thursday evening:
"Our fast-acting team members immediately alerted the Waterbury Fire and Police Departments. They followed established safety procedures to ensure their fellow team members' safety and give unobstructed access to the first responders. The fire was not near any buildings and thankfully there were no injuries," said Eric Albert, President of Albert Bros., Inc. "At this time, the fire is out, everyone is safe, and we are forever grateful for the support of Waterbury's finest, including the Waterbury Fire and Police Departments," he added.
"We take our environmental stewardship very seriously and we will investigate the cause of the fire. We are also grateful to both the Connecticut DEEP and our licensed environmental professionals, whose quick response helped minimize any environmental impact. Our preparedness and safety procedures born from 125 years of metal recycling experience were tested and thankfully today proved successful."
