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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Pittsfield 2025 Year in Review
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city continued to grapple with homelessness in 2025 while seeing a glimmer of hope in upcoming supportive housing projects.
Founders James Shulman and his wife, Jackie, offered it to the city through a conveyance and donation of property, which was met with some hesitation before it was withdrawn.
Now, a group of more than 50 volunteers learned everything from running the ride to detailing the horses, and it is run by nonprofit Berkshire Carousel Inc., with the Shulmans supporting operating costs.
Median and Camping Petitions
Conversations about homelessness resumed in Council Chambers when Mayor Peter Marchetti proposed a median standing and public camping ban to curb negative behaviors in the downtown area. Neither of the ordinances reached the finish line, and community members swarmed the public comment podium to urge the city to lead with compassion and housing-first solutions.
"If you look at this as a public safety issue, which I will grant that this is entirely put forward as a public safety issue, there are other issues that might rate higher that need our attention more with limited resources," said former Ward 7 councilor Rhonda Serre.
Protesters and public commenters said the ordinance may be framed as a public safety ordinance, but actually targets poor and vulnerable community members, and that criminalizing activities such as panhandling and protesting infringes on First Amendment rights and freedom of speech.
Some housing solutions came online in 2025 amidst the discourse about housing insecurity in Pittsfield.
The city celebrated nearly 40 new supportive units earlier in December. This includes nine units at "The First" located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. A ceremony was held in the new Housing Resource Center on First Street, which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
These units are permanent supportive housing, a model that combines affordable housing with voluntary social services.
Pittsfield supported the effort with $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and some Community Development Block Grant funds. Hearthway, formerly Berkshire Housing Development Corp., is managing the apartments and currently accepting applications.
After the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee completed its work with a formal recommendation in 2024, news about the park was quiet while the city planned its next move.
The ice rink was originally proposed for Clapp Park, but when the project was put out to bid, the system came back $75,000 higher than the cost estimate, and the cost estimates for temporary utilities were over budget. The city received a total of $200,000 in donations from five local organizations for the effort.
Last year, there was $18 million committed between grant funding and capital borrowing.
The Parks Commission recently accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns, that solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated.
It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then.
William Stanley Business Park
Site 9, the William Stanley Business Park parcel, formerly described to have looked like the face of the moon, was finished in early 2025, and the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority continues to prepare for new tenants.
Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use building on the 16.5-acre site, and housing across Woodlawn Avenue on an empty parcel. About 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements had to be removed and greened over.
There is also movement at the Berkshire Innovation Center as it begins a 7,000-square-foot expansion to add an Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Tech Hub and bring a new company, Myrias, to Pittsfield.
Voters chose new City Council members and a largely new School Committee during the municipal election in November. The council will be largely the same, as only two councilors will be new.
Earl Persip III, Peter White, Alisa Costa, and Kathleen Amuso held their seats as councilors at large. There were no races for wards 1, 3, and 4. Patrick Kavey was re-elected to Ward 5 after winning the race against Michael Grady, and Lampiasi was re-elected to Ward 6 after winning the race against Walter Powell.
Nine candidates ran to fill the six-seat committee. Ciara Batory, Sarah Muil, Daniel Elias, Katherine Yon, Heather McNeice, and Carolyn Barry were elected for two-year terms.
Katherine Nagy Moody secured representation of Ward 7 over Anthony Maffuccio, and Cameron Cunningham won the Ward 2 seat over Corey Walker. Both are new to the council.
In October, Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre stepped down to work for the Pittsfield Public Schools.
In 2025, the city remained challenged by the homelessness crisis, though the development of new supportive housing offered a promising outlook. click for more
The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. click for more
Disrepaired houses at 154 Francis Ave. and 224 Fourth St. will be demolished as part of the city's yearly efforts to address condemned properties. click for more
Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Northumberland Road.
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