In May 2001, a wind-driven fire destroyed the Latex Foam Company building, a very large rubber plant along the Naugatuck River in downtown Ansonia. At the time it was the largest case of arson in the history of the United States. The fire gutted the building, which was the workplace of 250 people. Firefighters from multiple counties fought the fire tirelessly for five days. Lingering clouds of foul-smelling smoke spread over the city and nearby communities, and chemical runoff produced by the fire unbalanced the ecosystem of the nearby river. The aforementioned Target store was constructed on the empty lot, opening in July 2007. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E07EFDD143AF936A25756C0A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fNews%2fScience%2fTopics%2fChemicals] Following the fire, the Latex Foam Company purchased a vacant plant off Route 110 in nearby Shelton and resumed production.