Firefighters battled a blaze on Tuesday night that caused heavy damage to the Dragon Products cement plant on Route 1 in Thomaston.
Crews were dispatched at 7:30 p.m. to the plant, Thomaston Fire Chief Mikial Mazzeo said. An employee at the plant reported the fire.
A mechanical failure in a building that pumps No. 2 fuel to another area caused an oil leak, which spread to a cellar area where other processes occur, according to Mazzeo.
“The oil found an ignition source, ignited and came all the way back to the floor where the leak originated, and spread throughout the rest of the building,” Mazzeo said.
About 75 firefighters from 11 surrounding communities assisted at the scene. The fire was stopped just as it was entering a lab and control room area, Mazzeo said.
The fire was reported out at 9:43 p.m.
“We’re still looking into things, but we’re confident it was an accidental fire,” Mazzeo said.
Mazzeo described damage to the building as “heavy,” but said engineers will make a final determination of the loss.
A message left for Dragon Products management was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.
BDN staff writer Lauren Abbate contributed to this report.