Dudley Firefighters Tackle Suspicious Blaze in Summer Heat

Date:  Friday June 29, 2012
Location:  Ardlock Place, Dudley

More photos follow.

On a very hot and humid Friday afternoon, Dudley firefighters were summonsed to battle a suspicious fire in an abandoned mill building.

Just after 4 PM on Friday June 29^th, Dudley firefighters received a call that there was smoke coming from the old Steven’s Mill Dye House on Ardlock Place, which has been abandoned for many years.  While many people took refuge in air-conditioned residences and businesses to escape the mid-90 degree heat, firefighters donned their 75 pounds of protective clothing and breathing apparatus and responded to the scene.

Dudley police officers were the first to arrive on scene and confirmed that there was a working fire in the vacant, run-down dye house.  As Dudley jakes arrived on scene, they cautiously entered the building to find a trash fire that was in close proximity to two abandoned vehicles located inside the building.  The fire had quickly spread to a wall and had already taken hold in the roof area.

The building was quickly laddered as several firefighters stretched a hoseline into the derelict building and quickly snuffed the visible fire.  Due to the humidity, the smoke could not lift, thus creating very limited visibility within the mill.  Firefighters had to use extreme caution when entering because that particular building, due to its age and disrepair, has areas of roof and ceiling that have collapsed into the interior, and under fire conditions, further collapse could become an extreme hazard to operating firefighters.

Dudley firefighters remained on scene for about an hour completely extinguishing the fire and chasing down any rogue embers which could rekindle a fire later.  No injuries were reported.  The fire was investigated by Captain David Konieczny of the Dudley FD, and the cause of the fire has been listed as suspicious.

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