NORTHBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A four alarm fire broke out this morning at approximately 4:30 am at Riverdale Mills Corporation (www.riverdale.com), 130 Riverdale Street, Northbridge, MA. There were approximately 15 employees on-site at the time; no injuries were reported and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined. CEO James Knott, Jr. arrived on-site shortly after 5:00 am; the local fire marshal is now on the scene.
“I am extremely grateful for the efforts of firefighters from Northbridge and surrounding towns who quickly contained and put out the fire this morning at Riverdale Mills, and for the safety of all our employees. We are working closely with the fire marshal and local authorities to determine the origin of the fire.”
Polly, Riverdale Mills’ 10 year-old resident Tabby cat, was given oxygen at the scene and was taken to Tufts New England Veterinary Medical Center where she is being treated for smoke inhalation.
Riverdale Mills is a manufacturer of welded wire mesh for the marine, security, construction and agriculture industries. The company employs 200 local workers. All of Riverdale Mills welded wire mesh products are made in Northbridge, MA.
Riverdale Mills is credited with revolutionizing the lobster industry. The company designed the modern, all-wire lobster trap and in 1980 introduced its marquee product Aquamesh®, the first weather and corrosion resistant welded wire mesh specifically designed to New England lobstermen. Today, 80% of all lobster traps made in North America are made with Aquamesh.
In 1987, Riverdale Mill’s introduced WireWall®, a virtually impenetrable, high security fencing wire mesh; it is nearly impossible to scale or cut. WireWall® currently lines 31 miles of the U.S. border in Arizona and California, secures 46 miles of Kuwait-Iraq border, surrounds the U.S. Embassy in Panama, lines the perimeter of the Los Angeles Transit System and the Port of San Francisco, and protects military bases, nuclear facilities, refineries, utilities, airports, and prisons; used at over 1,000 sites around the world.
Riverdale Mills’ nearly 400,000 sq. ft. plant is a completely renovated 1840’s mill building that first mass-produced scythes in 1852 and later bayonets for the Union Army in the Civil War.