PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield and area firefighters were able to contain a blaze in a multi-family apartment in a thickly settled neighborhood on Friday.
The fire was called in at about 4:50 and was out by about 7 p.m. The cause has not yet been determined.
The structure is at the corner of Lincoln Street and Cherry Street Extension. Smoke could be seen in the downtown area and parts of Cherry and Lincoln were blocked off. According to the Fire Department report, firefighters "found heavy fire engulfing a second floor porch" and a stairway "engulfed in flames" as they attempted to attack the blaze in the interior. Encountering heavy fire conditions on the second floor and exposure on the exterior, crews were called out of the building.
Water was pouring out the front door of the building and the entire roof section was blackened and burned by about 6 p.m. The second floor of the structure appears gutted. The siding on the house next door on Lincoln Street melted from the heat.
More than a dozen families are said to be displaced.
"A bunch of families are displaced, it's looking like 13-plus individuals from various different apartments," said Police Lt. Jeffrey Bradford. "So we're trying to get the Red Cross now."
He said there has been no reports of injuries and he hadn't seen the emergency medical technicians treating anyone. He could not speak to the origin of the fire.
One man said he believed that had a charcoal grill out on the second floor deck and either forgot it or left it. Another rumor was a gas stove.
"It's OK. This is all material stuff," he said. "It got burned. I lost everything."
One of the second-floor residents said he and wife were able to get out safely with their four cats but one woman who lived there wasn't able to get her cat.
Fire Chief Thomas Sammons said there was fire on the porch when firefighters arrived. They pulled hand lines but once inside found "there was a lot of fire inside that hadn't broken out yet."
When the building was hit with water, the flames started to break out through the back attic space. A double alarm was called to bring in more resources and then a third alarm and mutual aid was called.
"During that time, when we were getting everybody here, it extended to the second building briefly," he said, referring to another apartment building adjacent to it on Cherry Street. "The fire's out now, there's no injuries so we're in pretty good shape."
He estimated it affected about 16 apartments between the two buildings.
Dalton, Hinsdale and Lenox arrived with mutual aid, along with a ladder truck from the Boston Fire Department that Dalton had been borrowing. "It's kind of a first for this area," said Sammons.
When asked about the cause being a grill or stove, Sammons said he had not heard that and could not yet speak to the cause.
The structure is listed as 110 Lincoln St. and 18-24 Cherry St. It is owned by TJLR Onota LLC of New Jersey. City records say it was built circa 1880 and contains 12 units in 8,300 square feet.
The Red Cross also arrived at the scene to aid the displaced residents in finding shelter for the night.
The main building is completely gutted with significant smoke, water and heat damage one side and moderate damage to the other.
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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.
The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.
"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.
"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."
Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.
Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.
Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.
The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. click for more
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Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series.
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Brown hopes to one day work in a lab, feeding their strong interest in scientific research and making a positive difference in the world.
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Prior to the ribbon-cutting, public officials and community resource personnel were able to tour the two new permanent supported housing projects — West Housatonic Apartments and The First Street Apartments and Housing Resource Center.
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