Weekend fires hit Remingtom complex

By RICHARD WEIZEL and KEILA TORRES
Staff writers
ConnPost Article Last Updated: 10/06/2008 12:51:00 AM EDT

BRIDGEPORT -- In what fire officials say has become a dangerous and chronic problem, two more fires broke out over the weekend at the historic and sprawling former Remington Arms complex.

That makes it nearly a half-dozen fires this year at the complex, where many homeless people seek shelter during winter, fire officials said.

The two afternoon fires, one Saturday and another Sunday, are both considered suspicious, and each caused heavy damage to two different building at Arctic Street and Barnum Avenue, with the roof collapsing in the Sunday fire.

While no injuries were reported as a result of the two blazes, fire officials said they are becoming increasingly concerned that a tragedy could occur if something isn't done to stop the influx of homeless people who take shelter in the numerous vacant buildings.

The Saturday fire began in a garage on the vacant property, facing Arctic Street, just before 3 p.m.

According to Assistant Fire Chief Ismael Pomales, the fire was intentional.

"What we had was a pile of rubber electrical wires burning on the ground," Pomales said. "The flames spread through the roof over the wiring."

Edwin Diaz, a Goddard Street resident on his way to Compare Supermarket on East Main Street, said he arrived at the scene just moments before the firefighters and saw a young couple running away from the building.

"I saw the female running," said Diaz, 46, "and the guy came up behind her and said she did it and kept on walking."

Pomales said it appeared the couple was trying to steal the copper inside the wires.

"They burn the insulation off the wire for the copper," he said.

On the scene were Rescue 5, Battalion 2, and Engines 1, 6, 10, and 15, as well as Ladders 6 and 10.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but firefighters remained on the scene to ensure the site was secure.

Assistant East Side Fire Chief John Currivan said the Sunday fire, which also resulted in flames shooting out of the top of the building with "the roof caving in," started at about noon in another building at the complex on Barnum Avenue.

He said the blaze required nearly 30 firefighters to extinguish.

"The problem is that this vast complex with all these vacant buildings has been opened up and homeless people seek shelter when it gets cold," Currivan said.

"It's a big complex and this is now a big problem.

"I don't know what the solution is, but if this keep up it could be tragic, with the amount of buildings there and how old they are. We've had numerous fires in there this year alone."

Earlier this year a major fire gutted a section of historic buildings at the complex, and in April another fire broke out at a building within the complex on Helen Street.

The Remgrit Corp., whose principal owner is Fairfield developer Sal DiNardo, owns the complex.

City officials estimated earlier this year at least $8.6 million in back taxes is owed overall on the former Remington Arms property.

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.

Another fire Saturday night in an abandoned house on West Avenue resulted in bright orange flames shooting as high as 50 feet in the air, which forced firefighters and police to evacuate nearby residences, close down two streets and detour traffic.

Within minutes the two-and-a-half story wood-frame home collapsed into a pile of smoldering rubble under the weight of water being pumped on it from aerial hoses.

"This was the most intense fire I have encountered in years," said Assistant West Side Fire Chief Bruce Elander.

No injuries were reported.