VIDEO: 100-Foot Flames and Black Smoke - Fire Hits RI Recycled Metals Facility on Allens Ave

VIDEO: 100-Foot Flames and Black Smoke - Fire Hits RI Recycled Metals Facility on Allens Ave

 

The “unregulated” Rhode Island Recycled Metals facility on Allens Avenue was engulfed in flames on Thursday morning.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

 

The fire shot flames up more than 100 feet in the air, and the black smoke could be smelled as far as a mile away.

 

 

The fire began after midnight on the site  -- a facility that has been tied up in litigation with the Rhode Island Attorney General's office for more than a decade.

 

Terry Gray, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, told GoLocal in April of 2023 that the facility is de facto, “unregulated.”

 

 

A series of GoLocal stories, including drone footage, unveiled the condition of the site. SEE DRONE VIDEO AT BOTTOM

 

 

This is the second fire at the site in recent years that the facility has burned.  In March of 2021, RIRM burned for nearly an hour. SEE VIDEO

 

 

Recent Actions

In recent months, the city of Providence issued a cease and desist order as the facility's license has expired, but the business continues to operate.

 

In March, GoLocal reported that for the first time in nearly a decade, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has taken enforcement action against Rhode Island Recycled Metals (RIRM).

DEM has levied a $25,000 fine against the real estate company that controls the site and is legally intertwined with the scrap company.

The site has been called the "stain on the bay" by the environmental advocacy group Save the Bay. 

"The [notice of violation] pertains to RIRM’s failure to submit a public involvement plan (PIP) by the deadline of December 15, 2023, and the submission of the site investigation report 12 days after the deadline of December 1, 2023. After the NOV was issued, DEM received the PIP on December 29, 2023," said Michael Healey, spokesperson for DEM.

"RIRM has appealed the NOV to the Administrative Adjudication Division (AAD), which, as you know, is the administrative court for all environmental matters originating from DEM,” added Healey. “The AAD adjudicates all appeals of enforcement actions taken by the many regulatory programs within DEM and hears enforcement appeals for alleged violations of statutes and/or regulations under the jurisdiction of DEM. Such hearings are mandated by the Administrative Procedures Act,” 

The resolution of the appeal can take months. 

The first environmental enforcement against the facility dates back to 2012. 

Then, after years of delays, in 2015, DEM and then-Attorney General Peter Kilmartin hit the company with a series of enforcement actions.

A complaint had been filed against Rhode Island Recycled Metals, LLC, and AARE, LLC, along with the property owner, and the onsite manager for RI Recycled Metals, Edward Sciaba, Sr. The complaint concerned violations of Rhode Island’s Oil Pollution Control Act and Water Pollution Act, and DEM's Water Quality Regulations, RI Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Regulations, and Oil Pollution Control Regulations.

"These corporations failed to obtain the permits that were required to begin operations, ignored the law, and then did not comply with the agreement they reached with DEM to resolve their environmental violations," said then-DEM Director Janet Coit. "By failing to invest in the equipment and other measures necessary to prevent pollution, their actions harmed the environment.  As government officials work together to stimulate the economy, it's so important that we ensure compliance with our laws to provide an even playing field." 

But since then, the enforcement actions have been tied up in court -- literally with more than 100 court docket entries and no enforcement.

 

Editor's Note: An earlier version said the fire occurred on Wednesday - it started after midnight, so early Thursday morning.