Firefighters from several area towns were battling a large, smoky blaze Tuesday afternoon at the Waste Management Crossroads Landfill off Mercer Road in Norridgewock.
The initial call came in to the Somerset County Regional Communications Center in Skowhegan at about 2:20 p.m. Emergency crews from Norridgewock, Skowhegan and five other communities from as far away as Newport and Hartland responded, according to the radio log. The landfill is off U.S. Route 2 and Airport Road.
Responders posting on the Central Maine Facebook Fire Alert reported heavy smoke, which reportedly was traveling all the way into downtown Norridgewock. Thick black smoke was seen in photos posted on the Facebook page.
Firefighter Eric Gould, who is a truck driver who hauls trash to the landfill, reported from the scene that a helicopter had made 14 “drops” and headway was being made by crews “protecting the maintenance building that controls the methane vents and the 400-gallon diesel tank — this is a live update as I sit at the top on the trash pile watching cause it’s not in my jurisdiction.”
The smoke late Tuesday afternoon turned from black to white as pumper trucks soaked the fire with water and the Maine Forestry Service tackled the blaze with more drops from a helicopter.
No additional information was available.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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