Nursery fire involving chemicals in Franklin, Connecticut

Justin Muszynski

Hartford Courant

(TNS)

Thousands of pounds of fertilizer and pesticides were burned in a fire at a Franklin nursery early Monday, which prompted a mile-long lockdown order and the dispatch of two firefighters to the hospital, officials said.

The fire broke out early in the morning at The Plant Group, LLC., where several area fire departments responded to a report of a fire in a warehouse containing fertilizers and possibly pesticides, according to firefighters and a spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The response included the Franklin, Lebanon, Mohegan and Bozrah fire departments as well as the DEEP Emergency Response Unit.

The fire was largely contained shortly after 10 a.m., with some hot spots still in place, authorities said.

According to a DEEP spokesperson, approximately 10 tons of ammonium-based fertilizer and a full range of pesticides were consumed in the fire.

As a precaution, a stay-at-home order was issued for residents within a mile of the fire, according to a DEEP spokesperson, who described the area as “rural.”

“DEEP has aerial and drone monitoring in place, and Kropp Environmental has been contracted to assist with the cleanup,” said Will Healey, DEEP communications director. “Air monitoring showed low carbon monoxide values, which is normal with fire smoke.”

Healey said no other chemicals were detected.

Two firefighters were transported to an area hospital for possible smoke inhalation, according to fire officials.

“A berm has been created to limit runoff into a nearby creek, and water sampling will be conducted,” Healey said.

Kropp — a Franklin-based environmental contracting and consulting company — set up a vacuum truck to remove contaminated runoff from the site, Healey said.

Additional machinery may need to be brought in to excavate any affected soil.

“The environmental impact appears to be minimal at the moment,” Healey said.

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