8 months later, Roxborough fire station reopens

AFTER EIGHT months, the crew of Engine Company 66 can breathe easy - literally.

The fire station, located at Ridge Avenue near Shawmont in Roxborough, is reopening Friday at 10 a.m. after noxious fumes injured a worker and forced its closure in December, said Executive Chief Peter Crespo.

After a joint investigation between city, state and federal authorities, recent tests showed that the fumes, and the health risks they posed, have been eliminated, Crespo said.

One of the firefighters stationed at Engine 66 was sickened Dec. 18 and taken to nearby Roxborough Memorial Hospital, fire officials said at the time.

Investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency later discovered higher-than-normal levels of petroleum-based chemicals, according to Joe Schulle, president of Local 22 firefighters union.

Schulle told the Daily News in March that a report on the EPA's investigation showed the chemical fumes were coming from contaminated soil under the station.

While their home station was closed, the crew of Engine 66 temporarily set up shop at Ladder 30, located about a mile away.