Significant Smoke Damage Temporarily Closes Manufacturing Business

The Ledyard Fire Marshal's office is still investigating an early morning fire inside Forte RTS, a carbon tubing manufacturing plant at 14 Lorenz Parkway.

No one was inside the structure at the time of the report but Fire Marshal Jim Mann said smoke was reported by someone making a delivery to the business just before 4 a.m.

"Damage to the structure itself is minimal but there is a lot of smoke damage," said Mann.

Firefighters gained control of the fire within 45 minutes, according to John Doucette, deputy chief of the .

"Because there was no ventilation the smoke chocked out all the oxygen and allowed the fire to die down," he said.

Doucette said the fire burned an area of approximately 30 feet and that firefighters remained on the scene for about three hours while the smoke cleared.

Clint Rand, a co-manager of the business, said there is soot everywhere and that it will take a couple days to clean it up. He said the the office staff will be conducting business off-site and that manufacturing will have to stop while the building is cleaned.

"It's everywhere, everywhere," he said. "Inside drawers, on the computers, everywhere."

Rand said the smoke appeared to originate toward the back of the building at the end of a production line where normally there is little activity and no personnel.

The Fire Marshal's office has not officially determined the cause yet.

Doucette said Ledyard and responded to the first alarm. Mashantucket, Center Groton, Preston City and Poquetenuck and Old Mystic Firefighter Assistant Search Team companies arrived on the second alarm. He said Sub-base Fire Department covered the Gales Ferry fire house and Groton Ambulance was on scene for firefighters.