Report shows system shortcomings a year before firefighting foam leak at former naval base

BRUNSWICK, Maine — A fire suppression system at a Brunswick Executive Airport hangar was deficient about a year before gallons of firefighting foam laced with harmful chemicals were released in the largest accidental release of fire extinguishing agent in Maine history, according to a recently released report.

It is not known whether these deficiencies, which included inoperable sensors, led to the Aug. 19 incident in Hangar 4, when the system released 1,450 gallons (5,490 liters) of firefighting foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of water on the former naval base.

The cause of the fire suppression system is under investigation. Foam containing chemicals known as PFAS has been cleaned up, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised the public not to eat or limit the consumption of freshwater fish from four nearby bodies of water.

The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which is overseeing the property’s redevelopment, recently released a July 2023 inspection and fire testing report. The authority has been actively seeking to send a technician to address any deficiencies following the report, Kristine Logan, the group’s executive director, told The Associated Press in an email Friday. She said “no one has been able to schedule one.”

Logan also added that the group is working to find alternatives to using an active foam system in the hangar.

“We did not ignore this issue,” she said.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are found in everything from food packaging to clothing and have been linked to health problems, including several types of cancer. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency first proposed limits on the chemical in drinking water.

Brunswick Naval Air Station officially closed in 2011, and automatic fire suppression is mandatory in large hangars. The hangars once housed P-3 Orion fighters and other aircraft.