First responders honored by Killingly Town Council for response to Ballouville Mill fire

Connor Linskey, Norwich Bulletin
·1 min read

Firefighters and EMS personnel from many departments were honored for their response to the Ballouville Mill fire on Nov. 16, 2023.

At Tuesday night’s Killingly Town Council meeting, members of the fire departments from Attawaugan, Dayville, East Putnam, East Killingly, Williamsville, Putnam, Danielson, South Killingly, West Thompson, Community, Mortlake, East Brooklyn, Bungay, Plainfield, Moosup, Muddy Brook, Pomfret and Atwood Hose, as well as the Woodstock Volunteer Fire Association Station 76, Webster Fire and Rescue, KB Ambulance, Putnam EMS Special Signal Fire Association and Providence Canteen, were presented plaques in honor of their response to the fire.

“We thank you for this day Lord,” said Killingly Town Council Vice Chair Tammy Wakefield. “We thank you for our emergency service providers that are here today. We’re thankful for everything that they do.”

First responders to the Ballouville Mill fire pose with the Killingly Town Council after being recognized at the town council meeting Tuesday night.
First responders to the Ballouville Mill fire pose with the Killingly Town Council after being recognized at the town council meeting Tuesday night.

Attawaugan Fire Chief Matt Desrosiers said a call for a structure fire came in at approximately 1:30 a.m. First responders remained on scene until 8 p.m.

“All three floors caved in,” Desrosiers said regarding the mill fire. “It was an inferno... “It [the mill] is a pile of rubble now.”

Firefighters saved nearby homes

The firefighters were able to save several houses that were adjacent to the mill. Desrosiers said the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Killingly Fire Marshal’s Office.

No injuries occurred as a result of the fire, however houses in the area lost power for an extended period of time.

Desrosiers commended the agencies for their response to the mill fire.

Ballouville Mill on fire Nov. 16, 2023.
Ballouville Mill on fire Nov. 16, 2023.

“Everything is always chaotic right in the beginning...,” he said. “I think once staging was established and people really started to understand what was going on, everything kind of fell into place.”

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This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Firefighters honored for response to Ballouville Mill fire