Adams firefighters were helped by fire departments from Cheshire and Clarksburg.
Update: 9:47 p.m., minor rewrites, April 17, 2012.
ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters battled a blaze at 3 Baskin Lane that was reported shortly before 6 p.m. Clarksburg and Cheshire fire departments also responded.
Fire Chief Paul Goyette said the fire started in the first-floor apartment but the cause was not yet determined. It was called in around 6 p.m.
"We're on more of a defensive mode, which means we're working the fire mostly from the outside," Goyette, as firefighters contained the blaze at about 7:30 p.m. "We're slowly making our way back inside so we can go back on offensive."
Goyette said the fire was showing from the eaves of the apartment house when the Fire Department arrived. Firefighters initiated a two-prong attack in the first floor and on the outside but there were concerns for firefighters' safety because the roof was buckling.
By 7 p.m., the middle section of the roof had collapsed. The windy conditions, however, turned out to be beneficial by aiding in ventilation.
He said an older gentleman was assisted from the building before firefighters arrived and taken to the hospital. His name and condition were not yet known.
The building is currently uninhabitable and all utilities have been shut off. It was not clear how many occupants are affected by the fire. The property is listed in the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds as being owned by Mark A. Kurpiel.
No firefighters had been injured at publication time. Cheshire Fire Department responded with its rapid intervention team and Clarksburg responded with manpower. North Adams stood by at the station and North Adams Ambulance Service joined Adams Ambulance at the scene.
We were supposed to drill on Lime Street tonight but obviously that didn't happen," said Goyette. "This is what we were going to do ... we were going to do a structure fire."
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police and fire were busy Tuesday afternoon when two motor vehicle accidents occurred within minutes of each other.
The first occurred at 3:41 p.m. on Cherry Street when a gray 2008 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Jessenya J. Rodriguez of Meadow Street apparently rear-ended a green 1999 Toyota driven by Tuyet Nhi Nguyen, 20, of Parker Street. At least one person sustained injuries and the Jetta was towed by Dean's Towing.
The second fender-bender occurred at 3:50 p.m. on Union Street at the intersections of Gallup and Beaver streets. Traffic was detoured until the vehicles could be removed.
The collision occurred between a blue 2007 Hyundai Sonata owned by Brenda L. Crow of Francis Street and a 2001 green Honda Civic operated by Vanessa M. Hansen, 54, of Marlborough, Conn. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.
No further information was immediately available.
A two-car crash on Route 2, top and right, delayed traffic for a short time on Tuesday afternoon. Below, a fender-bender on Cherry Street
Cases heard before Judge Daniel Ford on Wednesday, April 11.
Kevin Sadlow, 44, of Plainfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of xanax with intent to distribute, possession of ambien with intent to distribute and operating under the influence of drugs.
Sadlow was released on $5,000 cash or $50,000 surety bail. The charges stem from an incident in Adams on Feb. 11.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Chicopee man was arrested in Great Barrington Thursday night and charged with setting a series of fires in the county in recent years.
Stuart Zimbrowski, 54, is being charged with 15 counts of burning the land of another, four counts of burning a building, seven counts of larceny under $250, three counts of breaking and entering in the daytime and two counts of larceny from a building. On Friday he had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf in Central Berkshire District Court on the charges. Judge Rita Koenigs ordered that he be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail.
According to the state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan, Zimbrowski set fire to a vacant apartment in Great Barrington on March 8, a barn in Sandisfield on Jan. 19, and the same Marlborough building two times — once on June 16, 2011 and again on October 17, 2011 — as well as 15 brush fires between April 30, 2009 and April 5, 2012.
The investigation was completed by the State Police, New York State Police and fire departments in Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Sandisfield, Sheffield and Stockbridge.
"I want to commend the great investigative effort by so many fire and law enforcement agencies. This was a tremendous effort that has removed a serial arsonist from the community before he progressed from brush fires and vacant buildings to occupied ones,"Coan said in a press release. "Arson is not a victimless crime even when no one is hurt in a fire; the fear and anxiety communities feel in addition to the loss of property, significantly impacts the quality of life."
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A one-time Stockbridge school counselor and current emergency management director has been accused of multiple counts of rape by former pupils.
Scott Muir, 36, was arranged Thursday in Southern Berkshire District Court on multiple sexual assault charges involving three former pupils and the district attorney's office is asking for any other victims to come forward.
Muir is accused of raping the children on multiple occasions while he worked as an adjustment counselor at the former Stockbridge Plain School, which closed in 2008.
He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf on:
• Three counts of rape of a child with force, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 in connection with incidents that occurred between 2003 and 2005 and involved a girl who is now 16.
• Two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 and one count of attempt to commit indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 in connection with incidents that occurred between 2003 and 2004 with a girl who is now 18.
• Two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child and a single count of rape of a child in connection with incidents between 2003 and 2004 with a girl who is now 17.
All of the incidents allegedly occurred at the school while he was employed there.
Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega released him on $10,000 cash or $100,000 surety bail on the condition he have no contact with the alleged victims or their families and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16. He is scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial conference on May 3.
District Attorney David Capeless said there may be other victims and urged them to "come forward."
"We believe that there may be other victims who will come forward, and we urge anyone with information about Mr. Muir's activities at the Plain School to contact the Berkshire Detective Unit of the state police at 413-499-1112," he said in a statement.
Muir is currently Stockbridge's emergency management director and facilities manager. He is also listed as a member of the Board of Health and a member of the Lee Volunteer Ambulance Service.
The investigation was conducted by the state police.
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