Dudley facility that produces adhesives goes up in flames

DUDLEY, Mass. — A five-alarm fire tore through a company that makes adhesives in Dudley Thursday night. The flames and smoke could be seen for miles.

About 80 firefighters from a dozen surrounding towns responded to the fire at Mace Adhesives on 38 Roberts Road, close to the Connecticut line. Dudley Fire Chief Dean Kochanowski said it got so hot inside that some of the concrete walls collapsed. There were also several explosions from emulsions that were inside barrels. One of the immediate concerns for firefighters was to keep the alcohol tanks in the front of the building cool enough so they wouldn’t explode, otherwise, it could have been a much worse situation.

Mace Polymers and Additives, which has been located at the facility in Dudley since 1984, produces polyurethane for several different uses including gym floor coatings, textile finishes, and adhesives. Besides being extremely careful with all these chemicals, the chief says firefighters had another big challenge.

“We also called in a tanker task force because this is outside our water district so we’re pumping out of lakes and ponds,” said Chief Kochanowski. “Water was a real issue so it was a real challenge to fight the fire. This company has been around for a long time it did not have a sprinkler system and it’s so far out of the water district and the company was built prior to the code changing.”

Chief Kochanowski said should the company rebuild, it would need to install sprinklers. Nobody was injured, but the building is a total loss.

The company’s website says hours are from 8 am to 5 pm. The fire started around 9:30 last night, so it’s unclear if anyone was at the facility when the flames first broke out.

The cause is under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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