SOMERSET — Fire crews in Somerset battled the fourth fire this year at the Brayton Point Commerce Center

The Herald News reports the fire started after debris was sparked by a cutting torch during demolition work to the former power plant. A cutting torch was the cause of three previous fires at Brayton Point in 2019.

Fire officials are reportedly working with the owners of the Commerce Center to curb future fires. The Herald says Somerset Fire Captain Rene Thibault criticized the owners, saying, “If they had a tighter handle on their operation, things wouldn’t get out of hand.”  Thibault explains that the multiple calls to Brayton Point pull away resources away from the rest of the town for hours.

Crews working the demolition at Brayton Point didn’t even notify the Somerset Fire Department of the blaze.  Apparently, the emergency call that notified the department was made by an ambulance passing by on the highway that noticed smoke coming from the plant.

It wasn’t until a passing ambulance noticed smoke coming from the former power plant that the department was notified of Tuesday’s fire. Thibault said crews working on Brayton Point did not call 911.

The last fire at Brayton Point was August 30.

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