Another Fire Set at Former NYSEG Facility Near Johnson City

Johnson City firefighters were sent to the old Goudey Power Station to extinguish a blaze at the abandoned generating plant.

The former NYSEG property is located west of Riverside Drive in Westover.

Johnson City fire marshal Bob Blakeslee said someone who spotted smoke coming from the site reported the blaze shortly before 7 a.m. Friday.

Blakeslee said it appeared someone had thrown some copper wire into a put and set it on fire. Metal thieves in the past have started fires at the site as they tried to burn insulation off the wire they planned to steal.

Blakeslee said the blaze appeared to generate more smoke than many of the previous fires at the property.

Although there have been ongoing efforts to secure the site, Blakeslee said firefighters found a spot where someone had cut an opening in a fence to gain access to the property.

Blakeslee said firefighters found no one on the property when they arrived. Fire units remained at the scene for about two hours.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has declared the contaminated former Goudey property a "Superfund" site. Some action has been taken over the past year to remove some of the oil and chemicals that remain in the buildings and soil on the property.

Town of Union officials want what remains of the old generating plant demolished. They've expressed hope that federal funding might become available to pay for that job.

VIDEO: Firefighters prepare to secure the former NYSEG facility on April 19, 2024.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.