A Bridgeport firefighter throws water on to the burning top story of an abandoned factory building, once part of the Remington Arms complex, at the intersection of Helen and Maple streets in Bridgeport. (Brian A. Pounds/Connecticut Post)Fire rips old Remington complex
DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@ctpost.com
Article Last Updated: 01/23/2008 11:54:59 PM EST
BRIDGEPORT — A smoky fire Wednesday gutted a section of the historic factory complex that once housed the sprawling Remington Arms operations.
Gray smoke billowed over the East Side as firefighters poured streams of water onto flames ravaging the roof and upper floor of the vacant factory fronting on Helen Street. The thick smoke could be seen as far away as Fairfield and Stratford.
The blaze erupted shortly after 2 p.m. in the top floor of a four-story section of the brick complex, also bordered by Arctic Street and Barnum Avenue.
Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli said when firefighters arrived at the scene, flames were shooting from the top-floor windows.
Firefighters initially were held back from entering the structure because of fears it could collapse. However, he said, once the fire was brought under control, firefighters went inside to hose down the hot spots.
The building, vacant for more than a dozen years, had no electric service.
Petrucelli said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
One firefighter was slightly injured battling the stubborn blaze, twisting his leg in a ladder.
The Mid-Fairfield County Chapter of the American Red Cross provided a canteen to support the 40 to 50 firefighters dispatched to battle the blaze.
Dozens of spectators lined nearby streets to watch.
The Remgrit Corp., whose principal owner is Fairfield developer Sal DiNardo, owns the complex.
City officials estimate at least $8.6 million in back taxes is owed overall on the former Remington Arms property.
Petrucelli said the fire gutted the four-story section of the factory buildings closest to Helen Street, destroying most of the wooden roof. Firefighters managed to keep the blaze from spreading to other sections of the complex. The 90-year-old former Remington Arms buildings are part of a 28-acre factory complex that produced bullets and other armaments until the 1980s. It was a major employer in the region.
Since the factory shut down, however, several of its buildings have been plagued by fire. In 2005, a fire damaged the Barnum Avenue section of the complex. The once-proud manufacturing compound at one time was a major force among the nation's defense industries. But it has deteriorated after decades of neglect. Windows are boarded up with wood panels and garbage is piled against locked doors.
Carfi said firefighters responded to a Dumpster fire Monday at 5:30 p.m. in a courtyard where a fire had been set to burn insulation from copper scavenged from one of the buildings.
A Bridgeport firefighter throws water on to the burning top story of an abandoned factory building, once part of the Remington Arms complex, at the intersection of Helen and Maple streets in Bridgeport. (Brian A. Pounds/Connecticut Post)
Bridgeport firefighters battle a blaze in an abandoned factory building, once part of the Remington Arms complex, at the intersection of Helen and Maple streets in Bridgeport. (Brian A. Pounds/Connecticut Post)