VIDEO: Oswego County officials are taking a closer look at the strain placed on local fire departments after three separate fires broke out at the Novelis aluminum plant in Scriba in recent months.
The first, a major fire on Sept. 16, drew more than 20 fire departments from across the region, including crews from Oswego, Jefferson, Onondaga and Cayuga counties. A smaller fire followed in October, and the most recent fire on Nov. 20 erupted in the same area as the September incident, according to county emergency officials.
With many of the responding agencies being volunteer companies, county leaders say the repeated calls are putting pressure on departments already operating with limited staffing.
Oswego County Legislature Chairman Jim Weatherup said the most recent fire once again required a large-scale response.
โBasically, every agency in our county was there. We also had them from Jefferson, Onondaga and Cayuga County, upwards of 25 departments,โ Weatherup said.
