TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Tonawanda Coke was in federal court Tuesday morning to answer to the possible probation violations from the company’s 2013 criminal sentence. Hours before that court appearance was set to begin, firefighters rushed to the Tonawanda Coke plant for reports of a fire.

Grand Island Supervisor and congressional candidate Nate McMurray said he could clearly see orange flames coming from the vicinity of the plant from the Grand Island Bridge.

Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger said the fire was described to him as a “controlled burn.” He said there was a power outage at the facility that required the venting of gas. When the gas was vented, the gases caught fire. 

When firefighters arrived, they were blocked from the property. By the time they were allowed onto the property, the flames were under control, Emminger said. He vowed to call OSHA to notify them of the incident Tuesday morning.

McMurray said the fire is evidence that the plant is a threat to people’s health.

“It’s a ticking time bomb and it’s been like this for a long time,” he said. “We know it, they have a history of breaking the public trust, and we have to stop it."

Local officials are upset about what they’re saying is a lack of transparency and a history of problems at Tonawanda Coke. They say last night’s fire is just the latest example.  

They’re hoping the fire will be the final tipping point that will get the doors to close at Tonawanda Coke for good.  

City of Tonawanda fire officials say they were just there in a support role for town firefighters, but the chief says the call was unusual because there was a delay for firefighters to be allowed in scene.