PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Fire Department's investigative unit is looking into the cause of a severe structure fire late Wednesday evening that took multiple departments hours to control and injured four firemen.

 

A vacant four-story brick building at 2-4 White Terrace endured major fire, heat, and smoke damage throughout the first and fourth floors and smoke damage throughout the second and third floors.

 

During the battle, two firefighters were transported to Berkshire Medical Center for smoke inhalation, one with a laceration to the hand from falling glass, and the other with an elbow injury during ventilation.

 

The cost of the damages has not yet been determined.

 

At 11:27 p.m., three engines responded to a possible structure fire at 2-4 White Terrace and found heavy smoke coming out of every fourth-story window and intense fire on the front right side of the first floor.

 

A second alarm was immediately called and ordered to establish its own water supply on White Terrace to begin attacking the blaze on the first floor and aerial operations were set up to flames coming out of open windows.

 

A third alarm was then requested along with three additional relief crews to the scene and the operations were deemed defensive because the building was not occupied.  Hinsdale, Lenox, and Dalton engines came to support the effort.

 

Engine 5 established a water supply for T1 and set up ground monitors while Engines 2 and 3 assisted with fire attack on the front right corner and set up an additional monitor on the left side of the building.

 

Engine 1 assisted and eventually set up a water supply for two ground monitors on the front left corner.  Engine 6 established a water supply on Orchard Street to feed two ground monitors on the backside.

 

Lenox's mutual aid truck was brought to direct the scene and also established a water supply on Orchard Street to open windows and attack the fourth-floor fire with an aerial hose.

 

For several hours, the crews worked to extinguish the blaze.  iBerkshires.com was on the scene until around 1 am and the firefighters were still battling the flames.

 

Smoke could be seen and smelled from several blocks away and North Street was blocked off from Linden Street to Orchard Street.

 

Around 5:50 a.m. the city called Pittsfield residents with a pre-recorded message to warn them of the fire.

 

This building is one of the three that make up White Terrace Apartments.  In September of 2017, an accidental fire in the middle building forced at least two dozen residents to evacuate and sent four to Berkshire Medical Center with minor injuries.