Manufacturing Mill Fire (Methuen, MA - December 1995) » Overhaul

The overhaul phase continued for several days before all of the fire suppression resources could be released. Heavy equipment had to be brought in to move debris and remove hazards as several large buildings were reduced to rubble and the entire site was encased in ice and covered with snow.

Specialists had to be brought to the scene to conduct a survey for hazardous materials and potential sources of contamination. Several areas were identified within the rubble where hazardous materials were used or stored, including radioactive sources that were used in instrumentation in the process control systems. Runoff of products into the river was a major concern as melting occurred.

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