ORRINGTON, Maine — Officials announced on Tuesday that the process of clearing out smoldering remnants from a trash incinerator in a Maine town will take approximately two weeks following a week-long fire that affected the facility.
Firefighters have been stationed continuously at the incinerator, which was foreclosed last year and sold to Eagle Point Energy Center, since the blaze ignited on October 1. They have remained on-site to monitor and extinguish any residual hotspots. While Eagle Point suggests that a lithium battery may have sparked the fire, the fire chief indicated that determining the exact cause could remain uncertain.
The incinerator, located in Orrington along the Penobscot River, contains around 6,000 tons (5,443 metric tons) of refuse being extracted from a large building measuring 200 by 400 feet (60 by 120 meters), according to Chris Backman, the town manager.
At the height of the incident, smoke from the fire led the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to issue an air quality warning; however, this week, the air quality was reported to be back to acceptable levels.
The waste removed from the site is being transported to the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town.
Orrington Fire Chief Scott Stewart expressed hope that firefighters would be able to vacate the location by this Friday.
Eagle Point Energy Center has indicated their intention to resume operations of the incinerator next year, despite the ongoing fallout from this fire. Since 2023, waste from numerous communities has been redirected to the Juniper Ridge landfill in place of incineration.
