Courtesy of Ansonia FD Assistant Chief Anthony DeLucia
A photo from last Friday's fire.
ANSONIA — Police told The Valley Indy that people were spotted going into a vacant industrial building on Liberty Street for months before a fire started there on Feb. 2.
In interviews with police detectives, neighbors said the abandoned building had been frequented long before the fire broke out. When detectives entered the building the day after the fire, they saw signs of previous fires in the building, which they believe may have been set by juveniles.
“When they [detectives] went in after the fire was all put out, and they went in during the daylight hours, it was obvious that there was some damage in the building that was apparently fresh,” Ansonia police Lt. Patrick Lynch said. “So it appeared that there had been people in that building.”
Ansonia Fire Marshal Darrick Lundeen said an official cause has not been determined.
However, the incident is being investigated as a possible arson, with the Ansonia Police Department and the state fire marshal’s office assisting.
Residents interviewed by police said they saw two people enter the building through a back gate before Friday’s fire began.
The building, which formerly housed offices and a metallurgy lab for Ansonia Copper & Brass, has been vacant since 2013.
There were no injuries reported during the fire, which was reported at about 4:50 p.m. last Friday. Crews from Derby, Seymour, Shelton, and Orange responded to the three-alarm blaze, as did officials from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
DEEP was called to the scene because of suspected contamination inside the building.
Meanwhile, Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti’s administration is reaching out to regulatory agencies in hopes of seeing legal action taken against the property’s owner, Ray McGee. City corporation counsel John Marini alleges that negligence on McGee’s part created conditions that allowed the fire to happen.
“We have this property owner here that has continually failed to secure the property, and it’s resulting in some serious danger to the community,” Marini told the Valley Indy.
A sign put up on the building shortly after the fire.
The Valley Indy left a voicemail for McGee but did not hear back.
The city has been communicating with the EPA as well as the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). Marini said they also plan to reach out to the State’s Attorney to advocate for charges to be brought against McGee, but have not yet done so.
Concern has been raised regarding contaminants in the building, particularly from the former lab. In 2017, CT DEEP and the EPA performed a cleanup of the site after it was reported that PCBs were leaking out of transformers on site. A preliminary EPA assessment also found hazardous levels of asbestos, lead, and heavy metals.
The city initiated a foreclosure against the tax-delinquent property in 2022, which is ongoing. The city has been eyeing a demolition after the foreclosure is complete. They secured a grant last December to have an environmental assessment conducted, a required step before demolition.
No lawyer is listed to represent McGee in the foreclosure, and McGee has not responded to any court communications.
Anyone with information concerning the fire is encouraged to call one of the following numbers:
Ansonia Police Department: 203 – 735-1885
Ansonia Fire Marshal’s office: 203 – 734-3525
CT Arson Hotline: 1 – 800-842‑7766
