After nine days, there is still no end to a burning fire on a North Haven Farm. The state just decided to step in and said the public’s health was at risk. Now the farm owner could face a huge fine.
The fire on the Borelli Farm by the North Haven/Branford town line was still smoldering on Friday afternoon because it has been too dangerous for firefighters to put out.
Neighbors told NBC Connecticut the smoke from it has been smothering.
“Pretty bad .. it envelopes inside the house,” said Beth Casey.
Neighbors are concerned about what they have been breathing in because solid waste is burning.
“I happen to have a child who has allergies who is on an inhaler twice a day so that was a concern for us,” Casey explained.
The runoff from fighting the fire has caused problems too. The state said it got into nearby rivers and killed some fish.
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“This clearly shows the need for environmental regulation,” Dennis Schain, of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said.
According to the state, the owner of the farm had collected a massive pile of wood and vegetation and it somehow burst into flames.
The problem is, he didn’t have a permit to have this much material on his property, so the state just hit him with a notice of violation.
“Our notice to them is that they are illegally operating a solid waste facility,” Schain explained.
On Friday, officials were at the Borelli Farm meeting with the man who they said runs it and told him this place needs to find a way to clean up the mess within thirty days.
“If they don't comply with this notice of violation with those provisions, we can take stronger enforcement action and that could include financial penalties,” Schain explained.
The state wants to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
At last check, the state said the smoke was not toxic, and the owner had a plan in place to clean up the mess.
