NEW BEDFORD – MassDEP has fined E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. $29,980 for failing to prevent a rodent infestation and causing a public nuisance.

A rat infestation in the surrounding area followed a May 14 fire at the E.L. Harvey transfer station at 1254 Shawmut Ave.

The fire caused the station to shut down and stop accepting waste. The fire compromised the structure of the building where solid waste was handled and the material couldn’t be removed, according to MassDEP .

MassDEP responded to rat-infestation complaints and inspected the station. Inspectors “observed hundreds of rats within the E.L. Harvey transfer station and numerous rats in the surrounding community,” according to a MassDEP press release. The infestation closed a playground at the New Bedford Regional Airport.

“Solid wa

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