Fire departments across southern Massachusetts extinguish destructive blaze that sent firefighter to the hospital

Fire departments from across the South Coast battled and extinguished a blaze over the weekend that lasted several hours.

According to the Rochester Fire Department, on Sunday at approximately noon, the Rochester Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at the SEMASS/Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility located in Rochester.

First-arriving units reported heavy smoke coming from the shredder area of the facility. Upon establishing command and conducting an initial sizeup, crews determined that the conveyor belt system which feeds waste into a shredder had broken and had spread the fire within the facility.

Firefighters immediately initiated suppression operations. Due to the size and complexity of the incident, automatic mutual aid was requested from the Marion and Mattapoisett Fire Departments.

Additional mutual aid resources were requested including a Tanker Task Force consisting of tankers from the Wareham, Lakeville, Acushnet, and Freetown Fire Departments. Additional engine companies and manpower responded from Lakeville, Freetown, Acushnet, Wareham, Middleborough, Carver, and Onset. Ambulances were also requested from the Wareham and Freetown Fire Departments to support on-scene operations. Marion EMS responded to a medical call in Rochester at the time of the fire.

Rochester Fire

During firefighting operations, one firefighter was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment for heat exhaustion. The firefighter’s condition is not believed to be serious. An employee from the facility was evaluated by EMS for an injury and released.

During the incident, firefighters reported a partial collapse of a section of the facility’s roof due to the intense heat generated by the fire. Crews adjusted operations accordingly and continued suppression efforts while maintaining firefighter safety as the top priority.

After approximately two hours of sustained firefighting operations, crews brought the fire under control. Firefighters remained on scene conducting overhaul operations and extinguishing remaining hot spots for several hours. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Rochester Fire Department thanked all mutual aid departments and facility personnel for their assistance and cooperation during this challenging incident.

Mutual Aid Departments.

● Marion Fire Department

● Mattapoisett Fire Department

● Wareham Fire Department

● Lakeville Fire Department

● Acushnet Fire Department

● Freetown Fire Department

● Middleborough Fire Department

● Carver Fire Department

● Onset Fire Department

● Rochester Police

● Regional Old Colony Comms

● Providence Canteen

The Rochester Fire Department reminds the public that mutual aid partnerships are critical in managing large-scale incidents and ensuring adequate resources are available to protect the community.