image description — Area firefighters respond to the report of a structure fire at Craneville Elementary School in Dalton. The Dalton Fire Department has been using a loaned Boston truck.

Craneville Elementary Evacuated After Smoke Fills Building

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
01:04PM / Monday, May 08, 2023Print Story | Email Story

Parents line up to be reunited with their children at the Stationery Factory, the school's emergency location.

DALTON, Mass. — Pupils at Craneville Elementary School were evacuated from the school on Monday after two motors in the heating and ventilation system burnt out and sent smoke through the building.

According to a message to parents from Superintendent of Schools Leslie Blake-Davis, staff noticed an odor at about 10:45 a.m. that "warranted a fire drill."

"It has been recommended by emergency personnel that students and staff relocate to the Stationary Factory (this is our emergency relocation site) to allow emergency personnel to ensure the issue is fully resolved before students re-enter the building," she wrote.

Two children were reportedly taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield by Lanesborough Ambulance for headaches.

"We didn't actually have a fire here today, they had a power outage and they lost a phase on the electrical system and two HVAC motors burned out and sent an odor and smoke haze through the whole building," said Dalton Fire Lt. Zackery Morrissey on Monday afternoon.

The smoke set off the box alarm, alerting the Fire Department.

He said school officials were advised to release the students because of the severity of the problem wasn't known.

"We had smoke in the furthest wing to through the whole school," Morrissey said. "So it was kind of hard to figure out which wing, what was going on, and we had to search every classroom and we're still not even done with this."

The lieutenant said the first firefighters were on the scene at 10:46 a.m. and he immediately hit a first alarm assignment calling for mutual aid. Other units arrived only minutes later.

"We did an emergency evacuation of the whole school and everybody's being sent home or bussed home, per the school's procedure," Morrissey said.

Parents were lined up at the Stationery Factory after noon to pick up their children.

In addition to Dalton Fire, Dalton Police and Dalton, Hinsdale and Lanesborough ambulances responded.

Tags: fire,

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Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:01PM / Monday, December 29, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

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. The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First.

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said.

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers.

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center. It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said.

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it."

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County.

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle. The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said.

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