Demolition for Remington Arms plant

Bridgeport, Conn. (WTNH) - The Remington Arms factory was built almost a century and a half ago, but today at least part of it will come down. The three buildings damaged in a fire Saturday will be demolished after firefighters spent two days putting out hot spots.

Demolition got off to a slow start with just one small excavator chipping away at an enormous building. Other machines were building a ramp so they could reach the roof line. This is all on the one building that suffered most of the fire damage. The flames started on Saturday and kept smoldering and spreading. The floors and beams spent decades soaking in oil from all the machines in there.

Mayor Bill Finch says since the factory closed, the property has been nothing but trouble.

"We want these buildings down," Finch said. "They serve absolutely no useful purpose except to put our firefighters and our neighborhood at risk. We want these buildings down. That's why we've been trying to take the action in court and we urge the owner to do everything he can to get these buildings down. They don't serve any purpose except as a hazard."

Now it's coming down as an emergency DEP project. There are concerns about asbestos and other pollutants in the building, so they are checking the air quality with electronic monitors around the perimeter of the property. So far, all the tests show all the bad stuff has stayed on the property and none of it has gotten out into the neighborhood.

Despite the slow start, they say it will only take two or three days to knock that building down.

Neighbors say they saw people inside just hours before the fire. They think those people were either homeless and living there, or stealing scrap metal. The fire is still under investigation.