A mulch fire behind a business on Oliver Terrace was knocked down quickly by Shelton firefighters Thursday night. There were no injuries.
Emergency personnel were called to the area near Wal-Mart on Bridgeport Avenue about 6:30 p.m. because of passers-by who saw heavy smoke, Shelton Fire Department Assistant Chief Nick Verdicchio said at the scene.
Firefighters eventually found the source of the smoke — a massive mulch pile behind the United Recycling building beyond the end of Oliver Terrace had ignited.
But that was only half the battle.
“We had no water here,” Verdicchio said.
So firefighters stretched about 3,500 feet of hose from the nearest hydrant — at 46 Oliver Terrace — to the area of the fire.
They were able to knock down the fire itself quickly, Verdicchio said, but remained on scene to make sure it didn’t ignite again.
“The problem with a mulch fire is you knock the fire down, but it’s seeded inside the piles, so you’ve really got to get the piles apart to get to the seed of the fire,” Verdicchio said.
An employee of the company used a backhoe to move the smoldering mulch pile.
“Basically he’s going to move a good portion of the pile that’s burning, relocate it, and we’re going to wet it as he’s dumping it,” Verdicchio said.
“We’re going to wet it down with foam, and the foam will smother it and keep it from igniting again,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll smother it enough, it will sit, and then the heavy rains tomorrow will take over.”
About 40 firefighters from all four of the city’s fire companies responded — in five engines, two tankers, and a handful of other support vehicles — with Derby firefighters covering downtown Shelton while the mulch blaze was put out.
Firefighters were still on scene just before midnight, according to Huntington Fire Co. 3’s Facebook page.
As for cause, Verdicchio said there was nothing suspicious about the fire.
“It’s an organic material and it can spontaneously combust,” he said.
