An explosion rocked Orrington on Tuesday night, causing a massive fire at a trash plant along the Penobscot River.
The fire broke out at Eagle Point Energy Center, formerly known as Penobscot Energy Recovery Co., on Industrial Way about 10:21 p.m., according to Orrington Assistant Fire Chief Chad Bean.
Firefighters came from as far as Levant and Eddington to assist Orrington crews in their battle against the blaze.
When firefighters arrived, they found the flames had spread through the entire tipping floor and had risen through the 20-by-40-foot steel roof of the building, Bean said in an early Wednesday morning news release.
Crews have been unable to safely get inside the building to extinguish the blaze and remove a 40-foot tall trash pile.
“The fire is contained [and] still burning and will take several days to fully extinguish,” Bean wrote.
Meanwhile, Bean said, “We are highly encouraging all Orrington and Hampden residents to keep their windows closed at this time due to the significant smoke problem this fire is creating.”
The former PERC facility has operated as a trash incinerator for the region. It was bought by new owners in March.
