Crews Cleaning Asbestos-Laden Debris Following Fire

A crew of cleanup workers has begun the process of removing the debris from the site of the Easter fire that consumed dozens of cabins at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center in Alton Bay, New Hampshire. Asbestos was found in the debris after state officials from the Department of Environmental Services required the site to be tested for asbestos-containing material. Asbestos is a toxic material.

Exposure to asbestos can, in some cases, prove deadly. Asbestos is linked to such conditions as lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer.

DES spokesman Jim Martin said, “The contractor did testing [for the asbestos material] and it came up positive,” said Martin. “They will be proceeding per DES rules and will report back with how much was collected and where is was disposed.” Martin went on to say that most of the asbestos was likely incinerated during the blaze. The DES began cleanup efforts last Friday, and work is scheduled to be completed by Wednesday of this week.

The cabins were used as seasonal homes for vacationing families. Conference Center Executive Director Richard Smith explained that each homeowner had cleanup coverage, which will cover the cost for cleaning up the site. “We’re doing general cleanup this week, cleaning up the burned remains,” Smith said.”[Then] we will reassign a reconstruction task force to find the possibilities of rebuilding and to see what fits into the code requirements today.”