Vacant Brass Plant Swept by Flames in Connecticut

A major fire gutted a long vacant brass manufacturing plant in south central Connecticut Friday night.

At about 8 p.m., police on patrol noticed smoke near the former Anaconda American Brass factory complex in Waterbury, 77 miles northeast of New York City, local media report. Firefighters arrived to find flames showing in a portion of the complex.

At the height of the emergency, 35 firefighters and seven emergency vehicles battled the blaze. Dilapidated after many years of neglect, the four-story brick building posed a risk of collapse, limiting firefighters to external operations only.

Two and a half hours after the first report, firefighters had gained control of the blaze and concentrated on extinguishing the lingering hot spots.

The building is part of a 14-acre complex once dedicated to brass manufacturing. In the 1990s, the site was used for the collection and treatment of hazardous waste.

More recently, city officials made plans to redevelop the land, obtaining a state grant for $1.5 million to demolish the largest building on the property.