Large Fire At Willimantic Waste Paper Company
Courtesy of Tyler Burokas
Willimantic Firefighters Local 1033, along with several other fire departments, are currently on scene battling a 3-alarm fire at at the Willimantic Waste Paper Company.
Crews were called to 1590 West Main Street late Sunday morning. Smoke could be seen from several towns away.
The building is home to a waste and recycling company that services residential and commercial customers across Eastern Connecticut. The building is one of the largest facilities in town and is full of waste and recycling materials, making the fire difficult to contain.
At this time crews do not believe there are any hazardous materials inside the building.
Tyler Burokas told The Lake 940 that he and his co-worker were working in the area and noticed the black smoke and flames. He said, “I called 911 they asked where my emergency was I said Willimantic Waste was on fire and she didn’t seem to believe me at first.”
After 911 was called Tyler began snapping photos and recording videos while waiting for firefighters to show up. We thank him for sharing them with us.
Residents in the immediate area are asked to avoid the area and stay inside to avoid the heavy smoke.
West Main Street (Route 32) is closed in the area and will remain closed for much of the day on Sunday.
More photos from Tyler below:
Photo Courtesy of Tyler Burokas
Photo Courtesy of Tyler Burokas
Photo Courtesy of Tyler Burokas
Photo Courtesy of Tyler Burokas
This is a video provided by Willi Waste to show the recycling process that they use.