It’s been six days since a fire began Tuesday night at the Eagle Point Energy Center, formerly known as PERC, in Orrington, igniting thousands of pounds of garbage at the idled trash plant.
The fire, which continues to burn as of Monday, blanketed communities from Bangor to Winterport in foul-smelling smoke. The smoke began to abate Friday afternoon, but firefighters said Monday that with a “new phase of work with the fire,” smoke emissions will intermittently increase again over the next 24 hours.
Officials issued an air quality warning and encouraged people to keep their windows shut. Nevertheless, some people experienced side effects from the smoke, including headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and respiratory issues for those with conditions like asthma. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection reported that one of the main causes is likely benzene, a toxic chemical that was found in low levels in the smoke.
We want to know: how has the smoke from the Orrington fire affected your life over the past week? Have you experienced adverse physical reactions to it? Did it cause you to cancel outdoor plans?
We also want to know what questions you might have about the aftermath of the fire — how the cleanup will go, what it means for the future of the trash plant, and what long-term issues there might be from it.
Fill out the form below, send us an email at [email protected], or leave a comment. We’ll try to answer any questions you might have. Please include your name, town of residence and email address, so we can follow up with questions. We may include your response in a future story unless you request we don’t, but we won’t share your email.
Orrington fire query
