For the better part of 10 days, fire crews in the Orrington area have been working hard to contain and ultimately extinguish a giant garbage fire that broke out at the Eagle Point Energy Center, formerly the PERC plant, on the evening of October 1st.

Read More: Massive Fire Overnight at Orrington Energy Plant

Area firefighters did what they could for almost 2 weeks to put the fire out, navigating structural issues, wind and weather and what had to be the most repulsive-smelling smoke created by the burning garbage pile.

That battle has finally come to an end.

A release put out by the Asst. Fire Chief Chad W. Bean via the Orrington Fire & Rescue Facebook Page on Friday said that fire crews would be clear of the scene by the weekend.

"The fire at the Eagle Point Energy Center (EPEC) is now considered fully extinguished...The building/property will then be turned over to the owners of EPEC as they continue to manage pulling everything out of the building where it will go through a grinder and then into trucks to be hauled away...The health and safety of our citizens and neighboring towns has been our main focus since this fire started over a week ago and with many hands, this high-priority objective was accomplished."

Assistant Fire Chief Bean thanked the many individuals, community organizations, and mutual aid partners for stepping up and providing support during the last few weeks.

Polluted smoke from the fire affected many surrounding towns in the first few days of October. Many schools held indoor recess and gym classes due to concerns with the air quality, even canceling some after-school activities

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

According to The Bangor Daily News, the former owners plan to sue the new owners of the facility over the fire.

"The lawsuit, filed Friday in Penobscot County Superior Court, is the latest setback for Eagle Point and calls into question whether the business will be able to begin accepting trash in 2025 as it has repeatedly claimed. Since May 2023, trash from roughly 47 communities is being sent to Juniper Ridge Landfill instead of being burned at the plant to produce electricity."

Read More: Local Schools Make Modifications In Wake Of Smoke From Huge Fire

We hope the firefighters, who have been working tirelessly to keep the threat contained, can rest and recover this weekend.