As firefighters remain watchful Tuesday night, making sure the fire doesn't start up again at Milford Fabricating, company management is already surveying the damage.
"Mr. Pole started this business in 1947, so there are a lot of memories here. But it will be better," said Joe Connolly, Operations Manager at Milford Fabricating.
Just after nine in the morning a fire broke out at the sheet metal factory and quickly spread. Firefighters had a tough time getting it under control because of the exploding tanks of chemicals inside.
Fortunately, everyone got out safely. More than 90 employees are now uncertain about their future.
"Our concern is our employees. A lot of guys have been here 15-20 years, so our allegiance is to them," said Connolly.
Governor Rell has ordered the Rapid Response Unit to assist those employees at a meeting Wednesday at city hall. Milford Fabricating is already starting to reorganize and figure out how to keep serving its customers.
"A lot of the sheet metal companies in the state have called offering support, so there's a lot of capacity that we can tap into to support our existing customers," said Connolly.
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After all, it has more than 50 years of experience to build on.
"We've always been the magic shop, if something had to happen. You get a phone call Thursday night, 'Hey Joe, what are you guys doing this weekend, can we get some parts on Monday?' We've always been that way, and that's the way we'll continue to be," said Connolly.
Fire investigators will be at Milford Fabricating Wednesday morning to determine the cause of the fire.
