SPRINGFIELD – The cause of a fire at a Page Boulevard scrap metal yard that burned for 16 hours over the weekend will remain undetermined.
The Arson and Bomb Squad spent four days investigating the fire at Chet’s Auto Wrecking and Scrap Metal, located at the corner of Rocus Street. Examiners declared it was not suspicious but did not find how it started, said Fire Capt. Drew Piemonte.
The fire started at about 6:30 p.m. Friday in a 60-foot pile of scrap metal, sending plumes of thick smoke into the air. The yard was closed at the time of the fire so there were no witnesses who could report seeing it ignite, Piemonte said.
The Hazardous Materials Response Division monitored air quality concerns, while the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection kept an eye on possible contamination from water runoff.
During the worst of the blaze, firefighters were pouring an estimated 10,000 gallons of water a minute on the flames.
Environmental officials placed booms at the street’s storm drains to prevent runoff from contaminating surface water.
Officials also assessed the runoff from firefighting and did not observe any oil odors, staining or other contaminates in the water, they said.
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