Lawrence fire chief orders cease-and-desist at Winfield Alloy after Aug. 27 yard fires; council hears emergency briefing

The Lawrence Fire Department and Inspectional Services placed Winfield Alloy, a metal recycling yard at 15 Medford Street, under a cease-and-desist order after fires discovered Aug. 27 required substantial resources to extinguish and revealed multiple code and permit violations. Chief Patrick Delaney of the Lawrence Fire Department told the City Council on Sept. 2 that investigators found “three separate fires” burning inside a large scrap pile and concluded the facility lacked required procedures for reporting and for separating hazardous materials.

The chief said the company did not immediately notify the fire department when smoke was first observed, a failure he tied to the blaze growing from an incipient stage into deeper, prolonged burning. “State law 5 27 10.6 0.1, any person discovered an unwanted fire, regardless of magnitude, shall immediately notify the fire department,” Delaney told councilors, and added that the facility’s delay increased risk and resource needs.

Why it matters: councilors raised public-safety and environmental concerns after residents and council members reported toxic odors and respiratory worries during and after the incident. The fire committed multiple apparatus and crews for several hours, limiting mutual-aid capacity in the Merrimack Valley…