WILTON — Firefighters made a quick response to a report of smoke coming from the Forster building on Depot Street Monday afternoon.

When Wilton police officer Nick Zecher and the first firefighters arrived flames could be seen on the third floor in the portion currently being demolished, Zecher said. The fire is believed to have started from welding being done for the demolition.

Wilton firefighters provided cans of liquid extinguisher to douse the fire, Deputy Chief Tom Doak said.

A neighbor called shortly after 2 p.m. reporting smoke was coming from the building, Wilton Sgt. Richard Billian said. He called Franklin County dispatch while Zecher responded.

Property owner Adam Mack hired Downeast Construction to demolish the building while salvaging wood and metal. The work is expected to take nearly a year to complete.

“It’s still scary. It still has potential for real havoc,” Doak said as firefighters prepared to leave the scene. There’s still a lot of work to be done before the demolition is complete.

The potential for a fire in the abandoned building has caused concern for the department and town officials over the years the building has been vacant. Due to safety concerns, the department had already ruled that no firefighter would go into the building if something did happen.

“We’d just try to surround and drown it,” he said.

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