UPDATE 7:00 a.m. — The U.S. Coast Guard and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection remain on scene of what officials now say is a five-alarm fire that burned overnight in Bridgeport.
The state and U.S. Coast Guard are testing water samples from the Pequonnock River and the Bridgeport Harbor to determine if water run-off from firefighting efforts carried any hazards into the waterway.
A foamy substance with a red tint was observed in the water, so the Coast Guard will fly a helicopter this morning over the harbor and along the shoreline to determine its spread.
As a precaution, all commercial and recreational fishing is prohibited from Norwalk to Milford while tests are completed, according to Coast Guard Capt. Ed Cubanski.
The DEEP yesterday stationed monitors testing air quality and detected no risk to public health. The smoke could cause respiratory irritation to people with preexisting respiratory conditions.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined. The buildings sustained multiple collapse areas so fire investigators have not yet entered the fire area.
UPDATE 6:33 a.m. — Last night’s fire on Seaview Avenue is still burning. Factories were destroyed last night: a perfume company and a roofing company.
Residents were evacuated from the area last night, and after an OK by the DEEP, they were allowed back home. DEEP will continue to be monitoring air quality in the area, as well as the water. There was a red color spotted in the water last night, which caused officials to ban fishing in the Sound today.
Original story — A massive fire is burning into its third hour in an industrial building in Bridgeport.
The fire was reported at 6:48 p.m. Thursday at 2102 Seaview Ave. Around 8:30 p.m. A massive column of smoke, bathed in an orange glow, towered above the East Side of the Park City, visible from I-95.
Numerous explosions sent flames four stories into the air.
The wind, blowing east to west, sent sparks toward nearby structures. Firefighters were spraying water on houses as siding melted on at least one.
The fire is near the former Remington plant, scene of several recent blazes.
The Stratford and Fairfield fire departments are also on the scene. Shortly before 9 o’clock, haz mat teams from lower Fairfield County were speeding up I-95 North toward the inferno.
More details will be posted as they become available.
— By Greg Reilly and John Kovach
Flames tower over a perfume factory that fed a five-alarm fire on the East Side of Bridgeport Thursday, Sept. 11. Runoff from fighting the fire has caused officials to ban fishing on the Long Island Sound Friday, Sept. 12. (Greg Reilly Photo)