Urgent Smoke Alert for Hampden & Orrington: Keep Windows Closed!

I remember when the PERC plant opened, back in the day.

My mom had some friends who lived near-ish to the river, and they complained that the bright flashing lights on top of the tower shined directly into their bedroom, and they had to upgrade to heavier curtains to keep the light out. But that's nothing compared to what's going on over there right now.

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According to WABI, there was a massive fire at the Eagle Point Energy Center, formerly known as the PERC plant. Many fire departments from all over were called in to help battle the blaze. Right now though, efforts to fully extinguish the fire are tough because of challenges with the structural integrity of the building.

The main issue right now, is going to be all the smoke.

Earlier Wednesday morning, the Orrington Fire Dept. issued a statement about the ongoing smoke issue. They're currently working with the town, the Maine DEP, and Penobscot County Emergency Management to find a solution as quickly as possible because it's "creating a significant environmental hazard" for those towns.

People on social media are saying that a bit further down the river in Winterport, there's a strong smell of chemicals in the air, so it may affect more towns than just Orrington and Hampden. Worse, it could take several days to fully extinguish the fire, so it may be a while before the fumes subside.

Is there ongoing danger to worry about?

Well, it's never a good thing when authorities are telling you to keep your windows closed, but presumably that's more about just keeping fumes out of your home than anything. If there were major danger, they'd likely be evacuating people or something like that. There's no current info about how long it will take before things are back to normal.

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But considering it's a 40-foot high burning/smoldering pile of trash in an unstable building, safety is a top priority. So while it may inconvenience folks a bit to have their windows closed, it's also about protecting the people that are fighting the fire. Our first responders' lives are the most important.