By Jen Thomas - January 24, 2008
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| A coffeepot is the suspected cause of a fire at Tropical Gardens in North Adams. |
NORTH ADAMS - Peter May, the owner of the Eagle Street building that was severely damaged by a morning blaze on Monday, had one word to describe the structure after he accompanied an adjustor on a "walk-through" on Wednesday.
"It's a mess," said May, who has co-owned the building since 1996 with artist Eric Rudd. "The first floor needs to be gutted, we need a lot of roof repair, there's a lot of fire damage in the back. It's just a mess, there's no other way to describe it."
The fire that claimed the lives of birds, fish and small animals at Tropical Gardens Pet Center was most likely caused by a frayed wire on a coffeemaker, according to Fire Director Stephen Meranti.
"We're not 100 percent sure that was what it is but it was in that general area of the building," said Meranti.
Numerous small animals were killed in the fire, including a pet parrot that belonged to Terry Blair, the pet store's owner. A small leopard gecko was rescued. An electronics business owned by William Cartwright that operated primarily in Internet sales occupied the second floor of the structure.
Meranti said firefighters were called to the scene after a Moulton's Spectacle Shoppe employee called 911 at 8:59 a.m. Responders from Adams, Williamstown and Clarksburg also aided in battling the flames, which took 45 minutes to contain and two hours to extinguish.
The fire apparently began at the back of the building and traveled up to the second floor through spaces behind the walls and then filled a 2- to 3-foot space between the roof and the second floor ceiling.
"It wasn't like the whole building was on fire - just the spaces," said Meranti.
The building has been deemed structurally sound and will most definitely be used again, said May.
"I want to quell the rumors. We're absolutely going to bring it back and, hopefully, it'll be better," said the local chiropractor.
Meranti said the second-floor joists were burned and there was heavy smoke and water damage to other areas of the building. He estimated the damage to be approximately $125,000 to the building and $50,000 for the contents, though he said he was not sure exactly how much the exotic pets were worth.
May said his biggest concern as he prepares to move forward is for the tenants.
"From my perspective, it's merely an insurance issue. For them - they lost a business. It must be a nightmare. My heart goes out to them and especially to [Blair]. She's been our tenant since the beginning," May said.
Though May said he is taking "it all one day at a time," the next steps are removing all of the items inside the building and beginning the process of rebuilding the interior.
"I'm not sure how long the process will take but it will be rebuilt," he said.
There's a 
North Adams Regional Hospital went smoke-free Monday — so did all its sister sites, from Sweet Brook to Northern Berkshire Family Practice to the Women's Exchange. No ashtrays, no smoking: No butts about it.
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