‘Never a good thing’: Waste building in Roxbury still burns, as locals are concerned of air quality

ROXBURY, Mass. — Members of the Boston Fire Department have been working around the clock battling an 8-alarm fire in Roxbury that sparked Sunday morning inside ReSource, a construction recycling center.

A Boston Fire spokesperson told Boston 25 that at least three firefighters were sent to the hospital with injuries. None of them are considered serious.

Patrick Ellis, Boston Fire Chief of Operations, said his crews would be working the scene overnight.

“There must be 100 metric tons of trash down there,” said Ellis about the materials inside. “It’s thirty feet high, the pile. It’s deep seeded.”

Even late Sunday night, the smell of smoke lingered across the Roxbury neighborhood.

“We smelled the smoke in the air, and I hope everybody’s ok,” said Paul Gonza. “Especially in this congested area, smoke inhalation is never a good thing anytime it happens.”

A Boston fire spokesperson told Boston 25 they do not consider the air quality a concern for people nearby as of Sunday night.

ReSource Waste Services CEO Jack Canty released a statement Sunday:

“Sometime this morning a fire started at ReSource Waste Services of Roxbury, a construction debris recycling facility that has operated at this site for over a decade and which is closed on Sundays.
We're thankful that no one was hurt and appreciate the Boston Fire Department's response in getting the incident under control. Our operations team will remain on site with Boston Fire until BFD has determined that the fire is fully extinguished and the site is secure.
Fortunately, the fire did not spread beyond the main building and no evacuations were needed. We do not accept trash, asbestos or any hazardous materials at this facility, which primarily serves the construction industry in the Boston Metro area to sort and recycle concrete, metal and wood debris.
Once we are assured that the site is safe and secure, we will work with Boston Fire and a structural engineer to assess the building and determine our next steps.”
Safety is our top priority and we are grateful that no one was hurt."

The fire has resulted in over $4 million in damages.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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