Portion Of Naugatuck Building Demolished After Major Fire: FD

NAUGATUCK, CT — A portion of a Water Street building has been demolished following a major fire Monday night, however the building's complete demolition may take a week or longer, according to fire officials.

The fire was first reported between Cedar and Church streets in the former Lewis Engineering building Monday around 9:30 p.m. Parts of the building continued to smolder Tuesday night and a crew remained on duty overnight in the event of any flareups, fire officials said.

In an update posted to Facebook Wednesday night, officials said fire watch on the building had ended and the portion of the structure under an emergency demolition order had been knocked down under the supervision and direction of the fire marshal's office.

Fire officials noted the complete demolition of the building may take a week or longer as debris disposal plans are put into place. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Water Street will remain closed between Cedar and Church streets for an undetermined length of time, fire officials said. For added security, a fence is in place around the building and the Naugatuck Police Department has officers posted on site.

On Tuesday, fire officials said a Naugatuck building official had ordered the building be torn down due to "severe structural damage which could cause additional unexpected collapses."

See also: Naugatuck Building To Be Torn Down After Major Fire: FD

The Waterbury and Middlebury fire departments provided assistance during the blaze Monday night while Beacon Hose Co #1 and the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department provided station coverage, fire officials said.

No injuries were reported. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection performed air monitoring Monday night and Tuesday morning and did not detect any asbestos or industrial chemicals in the air, fire officials said.

The Naugatuck Valley Health District is also monitoring the situation for two homes in the area, as well as the nearby Spark Little Learners Daycare which was closed Tuesday, according to fire officials.

"Building fires of this size are rare in Naugatuck," fire officials said Tuesday on Facebook. "We are grateful to our mutual aid partners who assisted us Monday."