Stamford Transfer Station closed following massive, hours-long fire
Once there, firefighters made sure everyone was out of the building, then got to work inside battling what they called a very stubborn and hot fire. They said piles of burning trash were over eight feet high, sending plumes of smoke through downtown.
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UPDATE: THE STAMFORD TRANSFER STATION REOPENED FRIDAY MORNING
Truck after truck arrived at the Stamford Transfer Station on Harbor View Avenue Thursday morning - only to learn it wasn't open.
"I had to do a dump run for my buddy," said Raffaele Faugno, of Stamford. "I guess I have to go to City Carting. It's on the other end of town."
The closing came after a massive fire there that began Wednesday just before 3 p.m. and stretched into the overnight.
Robert Serrano is the general manager at Tasca Stamford Hyundai, right across from the transfer station.
"The smell was overwhelming, so I went back to see and there was smoke coming from all sides of the building," Serrano recalled. "You heard all just the sirens coming through, and then the police closed the street here to avoid anyone from going back there."
Fire Chief Rex Morris told News 12 that 911 calls came in from all over the place because the smoke was so visible.
"As soon as you pulled out of the fire house, you could see smoke," Morris said.
Once there, firefighters made sure everyone was out of the building, then got to work inside battling what they called a very stubborn and hot fire. They said piles of burning trash were over eight feet high, sending plumes of smoke through downtown.
"It was one of the longest durations of fires we've had in a while here," Morris told News 12.
"When I went home, they were still there—full action, full working," Serrano said.
Morris said the scene remained active for over nine hours, and crews had a lot to deal with beyond the fire, like the extreme heat in the afternoon followed by thunderstorms in the evening.
"We used every engine company in the city, and what I mean by 'used' is we rotated them," explained Morris.
He said Stamford EMS set up a rehab station and Public Works provided an air-conditioned office space to give fire crews relief from the weather.
One firefighter suffered a twisted ankle and knee while another had a heat stress injury, but both are going to be okay, according to Morris.
"To have only two minor injuries speaks to the command and control and the safety of this fire department. The guys did an excellent job," Morris stated.
An engine remained on scene at midnight due to continued overnight smoldering, officials said, but by morning, all roads reopened.
"Back to normal," Serrano said. "Business as usual."
But not at the trash facility.
A city spokesperson said structural engineers were on site Thursday afternoon to assess the building, and their evaluation would help determine when the transfer station would reopen.
As of Thursday evening, News 12 had not gotten an update on that timeline.
