Crime & Safety

Safety First Priority at Somersville Mill

After a fire destroyed the mill on Saturday morning, securing the scene is the biggest objective.

Right now, the objective is to make sure that everything at the is safe and secure.

The brick wall has been removed, so only the steel structure remains, and are keeping an eye out for hotspots. The roadway was not yet open, but was expected to be open later in the day.

Somers First Selectwoman Lisa Pellegrini said that the state fire marshal and state police are still conducting their investigations and are going to be looking to get in touch with the owners of the building – they purchased it a couple weeks ago and haven’t even taken ownership of it – to interview them.

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According to Pellegrini, a representative from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had been out and the town was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing so, there are no environmental concerns.

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During the fire, there was the concern that building was going to collapse in the Scantic River, causing severe environmental issues, and possibly damming the river. However, only a bit of debris fell into the river and there were no problems.

Pellegrini said that if the river had been blocked, it would have flooded all of Somersville.

“If it (the building) went, it would have been devastating,” she said.

Something else that went in the favor of the firefighters was the rain. Had this been the dry spell that was experienced earlier this spring – when there were several brush fires – the fire probably would have spread to surrounding buildings.

As it was, the fire was contained to the mill and all the homes and businesses in the area were spared.

“I think they’re the best of the best,” Pellegrini said of the fire department.


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