Meth Lab Sparks Apartment Fire In Willimantic

By Michelle Warren, The Chronicle

June 23, 2021

Willimantic police have identified a suspect in connection with a methamphetamine lab that caused a fire at the 560 on Main apartment building on Monday.

Willimantic Fire Department Chief Marc Scrivener said the call came in as a fire alarm at 10:59 a.m. at the building, which is at 560 Main St.

He said the fire was small and occurred in an apartment on the sixth floor in the building, which is in one of the old mill buildings near the Thread City Crossing bridge (Frog Bridge).

Scrivener said the sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which police said was contained to the apartment.

In a press release Monday afternoon, Willimantic Police Lt. Matthew Solak wrote the scene was turned over to Willimantic police at approximately 12:30 p.m.

In a second press release issued later Monday, Solak wrote police were assisted by personnel from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state pol-ice’s narcotics unit.

While police said a suspect has been identified, no arrest has been announced yet.

Solak said the incident was “suspicious.”

He wrote there wasn’t any threat to the public and the incident appeared to be isolated.

“There is no information about injuries at this time,” Solak wrote in a press release Monday.

Police could not be reached for additional information this morning.

According to a press release issued by DEEP spokesperson Will Healey on Monday, the fire involved a “one-pot methamphetamine lab.”

Environmental Services Inc. was brought in to secure the chemicals, according to the DEEP.

At 7:33 p.m. Monday night, Healey reported DEEP Emergency Response Unit personnel had concluded their investigation.

He said two of the units in the building remained unfit for occupancy per an order from the North Central District Health Department, but the rest of the building could be reoccupied.

Healey wrote all hazardous materials and chemicals were removed.

Personnel from the Mans-field Fire Department and the University of Connecticut Special Hazards Unit responded to assist at the scene.

Windham Town Manager James Rivers and Windham Fire Marshal Michael Licata also responded to the incident.

Licata could not be reached for comment this morning.

Scrivener said it can be dangerous to inhale meth gas and be exposed in other ways.

He said a hazmat team from UConn was sent into the building to monitor for chemicals in the air but they didn’t discover any.

“This was a really small operation,” Scrivener said. “The windows were open in the apartment.”

Scrivener said a Salvation Army canteen provided food to emergency responders at the scene.

He said some residents were taken to Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy on Tuckie Road in North Windham because it is air-conditioned, while others chose to stay behind.

“A number of them were in wheelchairs and the logistics of getting them to Barrows was challenging, so they opted to stay,” Scrivener said.

He said police officers bought pizza for residents who stayed behind, “which was really nice of them to do.”

Some residents were told they could return to their apartments around 6:15 p.m., Scrivener said.

He said the sprinkler technician had to recharge the system for the sixth floor, which had been shut off in an attempt to prevent more water damage.

“There was smoke damage in the apartment on the sixth floor and a little bit in the hallway and then, of course, the water ran down all floors,” Scrivener said.

He said arrangements were made for residents who could not return to their apartments to stay at The Inn on Storrs in Mansfield.

The road was closed in the area of Main and Jackson streets for many hours following the fire, but had been reopened by the time Scrivener left the scene just before 7 p.m.

Several neighbors watched the investigation unfold from a nearby parking lot.

Hector Rodriguez, who lives two doors down from the fire, said he smelled the fire and fog was in the hallway. “It just smelled disgusting,” he said.

Rodriguez, who lives in the apartment with his partner, Brian Alvarado, and their 7-year-old daughter, said he carried his daughter out of the apartment.

The couple also brought their two dogs out of the apartment.

Rodriguez said he never met the man who lived in the apartment the fire was in.

He said he was concerned about his small tortoises breathing the air from the fire, noting that they lived close to the door. “I love my babies,” Rodriguez said.

Follow Michelle Warren on Twitter - @mwarrentc.

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