Raging Inferno Tears Through Abandoned Mill
Killingly, Conn. – Nearly 100 firefighters fought through the night to contain an inferno that consumed the remnants of a mill building and damaged nearby structures.
Just before 1 a.m. on Thursday, November 16th, 2023, a 1st alarm assignment was struck for a reported mill fire in the area of 248 Ballouville Rd.
Upon arrival, flames could be seen shooting over 50 ft in the air, raining ashes down on surrounding homes and woodland. Initial responders on the scene worked to notify residents in the hazard zone to temporarily leave their homes until crews could get a handle on the blaze. Any residents who were unable to leave their homes were allowed to shelter in place (as long as their homes were not immediately at risk) and dedicated crews were assigned to defend the structures, and evacuate the residents if the situation escalated. Luckily, these homes made it through the night unscathed.
Not all structures in the area made it through the incident without damage, 252 Ballouville Rd, which houses both businesses and residences, sustained moderate heat damage to the siding but was saved by firefighters before the structure could catch fire.
As embers rained down on the area two spot fires (fires not physically touching one another) occurred well away from the fire building. These fires required dedicated brush units to extinguish.
With the fire emanating such a high level of heat, the only way to battle it was with large amounts of water. To accomplish this, multiple ladder trucks and blitz fire nozzles, both provide upwards of 1000 gallons of water per minute on the fire. With well over 3000 gallons being poured on the fire every minute crews rapidly ran into water supply issues. To sustain firefighting operations, crews utilized nearby hydrants (within 100ft of the structure) but quickly had to turn to other means of supplying water as the hydrants were unable to keep up with the demand.
Two draft sites were established on opposite sides of the scene allowing trucks to suction water from the river and pump it through Large Diameter Hose (LDH) to engines supplying the aerial trucks at the scene. A tanker shuttle was also temporally established allowing crews to have the time to properly set up LDH supplies for extended operations.
Crews have been on the scene for over 12 hours (at the time of this article). With a long-duration operation, crews need necessities such as toilets, food, water, and fuel for the trucks. A port-o-potty was brought into the scene to fill that need and the Special Signal Association Providence Canteen, along with the Killingly Rehab Unit, provided drink and food to firefighters throughout the incident. Multiple deliveries of fuel occurred throughout the incident allowing trucks to remain connected and engaged in fighting the fire while they we refueled. Crews and command staff were assigned to shifts to ensure that personnel could rest throughout the incident and remain fit for duty.
Due to the size of the incident, additional special resources such as the Dayville Drone Unit and the Region 4 Communications trailer were brought in. The resources allowed for a long-term command center as well as aerial situational awareness of the fire building and the whole scene.
Due to the potential of hazardous material left over within the historic mill, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) were called to the scene to perform analysis on the soil, surrounding waterways, and air.
Heavy machinery has been brought to the scene to facilitate the demolition of what remains of the structure. Firefighters are actively extinguishing hot spots as the demolition occurs.
The Connecticut State Fire Marshals Office and Killingly Fire Marshals Office are investigating the incident.
No injuries have occurred during the incident.
Agencies who responded or were dispatched included: The Attawaugan Fire Department, Dayville Fire Company, East Putnam Fire Department, East Killingly Fire Department, Williamsville Fire Engine Company, Putnam Fire Department, Danielson Fire Department, South Killingly Fire Department, West Thompson Fire Department, Community Fire Company, Woodstock Vol Fire Department, Mortlake Fire Company, East Brooklyn Fire Department, Bungay Fire Brigade, Plainfield Fire Co #1, Moosup Fire Department, Muddy Brook Fire Department, Pomfret Fire Department, Atwood Hose Fire Company, Webster Fire/Rescue, KB Ambulance, KB Ambulance’s QV Medic, Putnam EMS, Special Signal Association Providence Canteen (x2), and the Killingly Rehab Team.
