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Orrington trash fire particles traveled several miles toward Orono

A trash fire at Eagle Point Energy Center (EPEC), a waste-to-energy facility in Orrington, broke out on Oct. 1 and continued burning until it was extinguished on Oct. 11. Due to high winds moving smoke across multiple counties, an air quality alert was issued by the University of Maine and the Town of Orono. Pollution levels on Oct. 3 were indicated as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,” and the general public was recommended to avoid “strenuous outdoor physical activity.”

David Lemery of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is an environmental specialist in the Air Quality Bureau. He mentioned how data from dispersed monitoring sites provides an estimate of how far particulate matter traveled as a result of the fire. 

“Data collected at DEP’s Bangor monitoring site showed a few hours of particle pollution that were higher than the ‘Moderate’ range.  We estimate that the monitor is approximately six miles from the fire,” said Lemery. “ Particulate matter may have traveled further than that, but the concentrations would likely decrease with distance away from the fire.”

Orrington Fire Chief Scott Stewart stated publicly at a press conference that they put approximately 1.5 million gallons of water on the fire, as of Oct. 4. The Acting Deputy Director of Public Safety Bryan Hardison of the Orono Fire Department spoke with members of the Orrington Fire Department regarding the situation 18 miles south of UMaine. 

“I think it was 700 metric tons of trash pile burning. The DEP and the owners are working on hauling it away. They’re hauling it to, I think, Juniper Landfill with all the permits through DEP. They’re doing this to be able to get down to the root of it and put out what they need to,” said Stewart. “I talked with the Orrington Fire [Department] this morning, and they have crews working, stationed there around the clock, and probably will have until this weekend.” 

Lemery stated that the Orrington Fire Department “assessed the existing state of the fire and adjusted their control strategies to reduce the amount of smoke emitted.” He also referenced wildfires that transpired in 2023 from Canada. Specifically, how the smoke made a larger impact on air quality in Maine than the recent trash fire. 

“There have been events that were more severe than this.  Smoke from last summer’s Canadian wildfires had much more impact on the Northeast US as a whole and Maine in particular. From June through October, there were four days when the 24-hour average of particle pollution was in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range on the Air Quality Index,” said Lemery

No concentrations of concerning or cancer-causing chemicals were found when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arrived on the scene in Orrington with air-monitoring equipment on Oct. 2. 

“The Maine CDC sees no evidence for an increase in all-cause visits or in visits for any type of respiratory complaints that might be related to smoke exposure or poor air quality,” according to a statement published to the MDEP website on Oct. 3. “Additionally, a review of the visit notes and other documentation for all ED visits in these hospitals over the past two days found no evidence to indicate anyone complaining of exposure to smoke or poor air quality.”

While the fire is fully extinguished and air quality has returned to normal levels, a legal battle between EPEC and PERC is ongoing.

The EPEC, formerly known as Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC), serves the community by creating a source of fuel from solid waste. The process increases renewable energy in Maine and reduces landfill contributions. According to EPEC representative Evan Coleman in an interview with News Center Maine, the previous owner left behind 8,000 tons of trash. Current employees are halfway through clearing it. 

PERC filed a lawsuit on Oct. 4 in Penobscot County Superior Court against EPEC, alleging that the new owners were only sold the incinerator itself at its foreclosure auction, and municipal waste contracts were not transferred between the two companies. According to Maine Public, PERC also accused EPEC of seizing $2 million in spare parts and gear that were not granted in the sale.  EPEC referred to the lawsuit as “baseless” in a public statement.

Furthermore, PERC claimed that EPEC was recently made aware of the potential for fire, but did not take the measures to prevent it. PERC representative Ted O’Meara also made a public statement, which accused EPEC of “shifting blame.” The previous owners are suing for a return of customer contracts and damages. 


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