A fishing ban has been imposed on all commercial and recreational fishing from Norwalk to Milford until the environmental impact of a massive overnight fire in Bridgeport can be evaluated. The fire has also forced evacuation of residents and cut electrical power.
The state and U.S. Coast Guard are testing water samples from the Pequonnock River and the Bridgeport Harbor to be sure that water run-off is not carrying any hazards into the waterway. The Associated Press reported that red foam was found in area waters.
Governor Dannel Malloy was at the scene in Bridgeport and gave a press conference after a briefing on the fire from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection on Friday afternoon.
"We are, as you know, doing air and water samples," Malloy said. "We're going to monitor the situation very extensively, obviously. Shellfish are an important part of our economy, and the health of our people is very important to us. I would urge everyone to err on the side of caution. That's certainly what the agricultural department is doing right now."
Listen below to Malloy's remarks during the press conference.
No serious injuries have been reported in the fire at Rowayton Trading Company, a Bridgeport industrial building. Residents in about nine multi-family homes were evacuated and power to about 1,500 homes in the area shut off.
The building houses a roofing company and a recycled perfume factory.The fire was reported before 7:00 pm on Thursday, and continued to burn hours later, fire officials said.
"Obviously the key here is to take an abundance of caution while we're still figuring out what is in the reddish material," said Rob Klee, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Klee said there were no immediate air quality concerns, but "from being down there, it smelled like perfume," he said. "The folks on the ground are monitoring to make sure it's not at a level that's unsafe for people."
The state says it is checking whether or not the companies at the site had the correct permits to store and maintain chemicals. Water quality testing is expected to last until early next week. The facilities impacted by the fire employed about 50 workers.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
