TOWN OF VERONA — A “suspicious” fire at an old, abandoned warehouse at a former Griffiss Air Force Base test site off Germany Road is under investigation. A passerby discovered the fire and called 9-1-1 at about 3:17 a.m. Tuesday, fire officials said. “Upon arrival, probably half the building was involved,” said Verona Fire Chief Mark Nell. “It had a substantial head start.”
Volunteers from at least 12 fire departments responded, mostly to assist with tankering water to the out-of-the-way warehouse, officials said. The original caller could not pinpoint a location, so the New London Fire Department and their mutual aid agencies were the first notified.
Once they locked down the location off Germany Road in Verona, the Verona Fire Department and their mutual aid agencies took over, Nell explained. This provided the firefighters with plenty of water on scene.
“It’s been vacant for years,” Nell stated. The warehouse and the offices inside were once part of the Griffiss Air Force Base, he said, and have been unoccupied likely since the base closed down. The said the land is now partially owned by the Oneida Indian Nation, which assisted in the firefight. The Nation provided several piece of heavy equipment to help knock through some of the concrete walls so firefighters had better access to the blaze inside. The building also had a metal roof.
The flames took about an hour to get under control. Crews then remained on the scene dousing hot spots and cleaning up into the early afternoon, he stated.
The cause is under investigation by the Oneida Indian Nation and the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Nell said. The cause has not been determined, but “it’s suspicious” because of the remote location and because the warehouse had been long abandoned, he stated.
No one was injured during the firefight. Nell said the Nation is expected to demolish what remains of the building.
The Verona, New London, Durhamville, Sylvan Beach, Vienna, Taberg, Vernon Center, Vernon, Oneida Castle, Sherrill, Stanwix Heights and Westmoreland fire departments responded, with help from Madison County. North Bay was on standby.
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