PROVIDENCE – A large fire at the Rhode Island Recycled Metals scrapyard near the Port of Providence on Wednesday morning sent large plumes of thick, black smoke billowing over nearby neighborhoods for hours.
It was the second fire there in the last three months and prompted the Office of Attorney General Peter F. Neronha to file a request in Superior Court to have the Allens Avenue business immediately shut down. Judge Brian Stern will hold a hearing on the filing Friday morning. Rhode Island Recycled Metals has agreed to suspend operations until then, according to the attorney general's office.
It comes amid an ongoing court case being pursued by Neronha's office and the state Department of Environmental Management to clean up the waterfront property and enact more stringent pollution controls there. Legal counsel for the DEM was also at the emergency court conference on Wednesday in which the state asked for stricter oversight for the property.
Gov. Dan McKee also weighed in on the controversial facility that has been the subject of concerns about environmental impacts for more than a decade.
“This has gone on way too long – these repeated emergencies threaten the health and safety of our nearby communities in Providence, disrupting the daily lives of nearby residents and threatening Narragansett Bay," he said in a statement. "I support the actions taken today topush forward efforts to holdRI Recycled Metalsaccountablefor the damage it’s done to this site and the environmental harms it has caused to the community."
A spokesman for Rhode Island Recycled Metals said the company will review its practices.
"We plan to reopen on Monday after the clean-up and collaboration with city and state officials," said Patrick Sweeney. "RIRM thanks Providence’s first responders who were quickly on scene and swiftly took care of the incident."
What caused the fire?
Providence Fire Chief Derek Silva said when firefighters arrived, they found that the fire was deep in the pile of scrap metal. As an excavator pulled out bunches of scrap metal, it was burned black, which Silva said indicated the intense heat of the blaze.
Silva said the cause of the fire is not thought to be arson, but rather, something from within the pile, such as an empty propane tank or lithium-ion batteries. Even empty propane tanks still have some small amount of propane left, he said.
Fire investigators are reviewing security footage to see if they can figure out when the fire started and from what spot in the pile.
More:Watch firefighters battle a large blaze at the Port of Providence
How long will the fire burn?
Firefighters said they did not expect to extinguish the fire until Wednesday evening, even as they dumped an estimated 3,000 gallons a minute on the pile.
DEM monitoring for pollution
While Wednesday was a little windy, it was blowing the smoke away from the firefighters, allowing them to breathe a little easier. Air monitors were set up in a triangle shape around the area, including at Collier Point and around the hospitals in South Providence. As of early Wednesday afternoon, none of the air quality monitors showed problems.
The state Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Coast Guard were asked to help monitor the area for contaminants coming from the fire, Silva said. The DEM said its Office of Air Resources would continue to monitor air quality over the coming days.
The water containment system, meant to protect the river and Narragansett Bay, was holding, he said. And there was no visible oil sheen on the water, the DEM added.
“It’s been quite challenging, given the weather is so hot today,” Silva said.
With the sun beating down, Wednesday was hot and humid, and firefighters on scene were setting up tents and tarps to create a shaded space for them to drink water and rest while fighting the fire.
Calls for scrapyard to be shut down
Rhode Island Recycled Metals has been at the center of ongoing legal disputes with state authorities and the City of Providence over alleged pollution and other violations at the waterfront scrapyard.
Mayor Brett Smiley reiterated the city’s position that the facility lacks all necessary municipal licenses.
“It is critical for the safety and public health of our neighbors that operations are ceased until this facility obtains all necessary licenses,” he said in a statement. “We are again requesting, and in this case demanding, that the state hold them accountable for the multiple matters that are squarely within their jurisdiction.”
Save The Bay, which has been calling for years for the closure of the scrapyard, said the facility is a threat to nearby neighborhoods.
"How many times does this place need to catch fire before it is shut down?” Mike Jarbeau, Narragansett Baykeeper for the Providence-based advocacy group, said.“These fires put the lives of first responders at risk, jeopardize the health of nearby residents and people who work on the waterfront, and the health of the river and the Bay. Enough is enough."
In a group statement, Providence City Councilman Pedro Espinal; Sen. Tiara Mack, D-Providence; and Rep. Jose Batista, D-Providence, wrote that they are "furious" over another "environmental disaster at our neighborhood pariah."
The three called Rhode Island Recycled Metals a "bad faith actor," and wrote that the company's negligence and malfeasance are poisoning South Providence residents.
"Enough is enough," they wrote. "We demand the immediate closure of the scrapyard, and will continue to explore every possible legal mechanism at the city and state's disposal to ensure they are shut down."
The three politicians wrote they are calling on the Superior Court judge to approve the city's cease and desist order and go further by asking DEM, the attorney general and the governor to shut down the recycler and "end this public health nightmare."
Not the first fire at the scrapyard or in the port
Just last April, another fire broke out at Rhode Island Recycled Metals.
That fire, too, sent plumes of black smoke over the abutting neighborhoods, drawing protesters looking to have the scrapyard closed down for polluting the area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
