Furnace Malfunction Sends Smoke Spewing In Ansonia

The Ansonia fire marshal’s office is investigating a furnace malfunction that sent heavy smoke spewing from the massive Farrel’s complex on West Main Street Tuesday morning.

There were no injuries.

Firefighters were sent to the building at 7:16 a.m., according to Ansonia Fire Chief Ron Burgess, Sr.

Photo: Eugene DriscollSmoke could be seen coming from windows on a large portion of the old building.

Firefighters were able to quickly gain access to the boiler room, which sits on the first level of the building under a large smoke stack. They put out a fire on a wall next to the boiler.

Burgess said the massive furnace, which takes up a room, backfired and triggered the fire on the wall.

The furnace backfired and caught the wall on fire and some of the flooring,” Burgess said. It blew out two small windows on the garage doors.”

The section of the building is still in use but Burgess didn’t know to what extent.

The (firefighters) did a good job. They popped the windows and the doors and were able to get a quick knockdown,” he said.

Metro-North was providing bus service as of 8 a.m., when firefighters were leaving the scene.

Firefighters had to stretch a hose across the train tracks when they first arrived. Seymour firefighters were called in as rapid intervention” in the event an Ansonia firefighter needed assistance in the large building.

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