Just one day after Milford Fabricating was destroyed by fire, the company's owner told workers he will rebuild. Many of the manufacturing company's nearly 100 employees gathered at an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon, concerned about the business and their jobs.
"What we're telling them is we're trying to find a relocation until we get our building up and running," said Ed Pohl, the owner of Milford Fabricating. "We plan on keeping at least half our workforce and I would say within a month we'll be back in full swing."
The company has been in business since 1947, and produces sheet metal and other products for local companies. It looks like a laser machine sparked the fire Tuesday morning, said Pohl. The flames gutted the company's main building.
To help workers cope with sudden unemployment, the state sent its Rapid Response Team to speak to them at the meeting. The team included officials from the Department of Social Services and the Department of Labor.
"We're nervous and stuff like that, wondering what's going to go on," said Dave Cayson, an employee of the company for about five years.
"Pretty concerned," said Constantine Fasnakis, who's worked for the company for about a year. "I'm a full-time student. That's how I pay for school so hopefully unemployment works out and I get back on my feet."
Investigators spent much of Wednesday at the scene, trying to determine an official cause of the fire.
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"Out of tragedy often comes great things," said Mayor James Richetelli. "I think that's going to be the case here."
