image description — A fire at the back of the Old Forge Restaurant damaged the salad bar area and outside deck on Sunday morning.

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Olde Forge Owner Says Restaurant Will Recover from Sunday Fire

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:25PM / Sunday, August 28, 2022Print Story | Email Story

An image shared around Facebook shows the flames.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The popular Old Forge restaurant on Route 7 suffered severe damage in the rear of the building from a fire late Sunday morning.

There is damage in the salad bar and back of the building but owner Kirk Grippo said the eatery is going to be back open as soon as possible.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened," he said as firefighters checked the damage off the rear deck. "We're working on it already. I'm resilient. We're going to fix the damage to the end of the building, we've already been working together with the building inspectors, electrician, the insurance companies. We're going to figure it out real quick."

"They say it's OK from the salad bar forward, which may mean the downstairs is fine, too, so we're going to do everything we can to get it up and running and get back as fast as possible. I'm resilient. I'm not gonna let this go."

The Fire Department got the call about the blaze around 10 a.m. There were substantal smoke and flames were showing in the rear of the building. Several posts to Facebook showed black smoke and large flames coming off the deck area. The restaurant was not open at that hour and it's not clear if any employees were in the building. Its hours on Sunday are normally noon to 8.

The fire appeared to be contained by about 11 a.m. Fire Chief Jeff Dechaine reported that a majority of the fire was out and that firefighters were looking for extension in the building and hot spots in hard-to-reach areas because of the age of the building.

He said the cause and extent of the damage was not yet determined but that there were no reported injuries. The Berkshire Eagle later reported a firefighter was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield as a precaution.

The siding and decking on the rear of the building is charred and a hole is visible in the rear roof from the blaze.

Firefighters could be seen throwing what appeared to be charred furniture and wood off the deck.

Cheshire, Dalton, Hancock and Hinsdale fire departments responded to the scene. Route 7 was blocked off from traffic to accommodate response.

The Olde Forge is known for its chicken wings and extensive beer selection. It has been in business for more than 40 years.

Tags: structure fire,

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Pittsfield Outreach Program Sees Manager

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:29AM / Monday, August 17, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Health Department's outreach program has a manager and is seeking two outreach workers.

Earlier this month, Director of Public Health Andy Cambi updated the Board of Health on the creation of a new initiative that connects individuals on the streets with needed services.

He reported that Community Health Worker Gabrielle DiMassimo was tapped as the Community Health Program Manager a couple of weeks prior after it was posted internally. DiMassimo has been reaching out to unhoused people in encampments with the Parks Department and co-responders, and other staff this summer.

"She's been with the department for a couple years, holds a bachelor's degree in public health, and has been doing a lot of this work," Cambi said.

"Even in her college years, she was doing encampments and outreach with Worcester Public Health Department, so she really fit the bill for this position."

The position oversees Pittsfield's peer outreach initiative while advancing the long-term vision for the health department to be a more proactive, community-centered public health agency, as well as the health department's evolving responsibility to address prevention, access to services, social determinants of health, and community well-being through coordinated outreach and engagement.

Last year's controversial camping ordinance was sent to the Board of Health, and they determined it is not the best approach for Pittsfield. It was officially scrapped by the City Council earlier this year and replaced with a peer outreach program that provides harm reduction support services, navigation, and relationship-building with vulnerable residents.

The program director and outreach worker positions were approved by the City Council earlier this season. The outreach worker positions were posted internally, received applicants, and will soon go external to expand the candidate pool.

Cambi reported that the encampment group has been conducting outreach with DiMassimo. Workers speak with people at the encampments, tag the equipment, give the people an opportunity to relocate, and connect them with available resources.

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