Condemned North Adams Apartment Building Burns to the Ground

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An image from the city's property database shows what the front of the building looked like
Update (05182023 at 10 a.m.): Firefighters were on the scene Thursday morning monitoring the wreckage.
 
"Nothing new right now, obviously the fire is knocked down and we should be out of here shortly," Deputy Fire Chief Robert Patenaude said. "The fire marshal is here this morning."
 
An excavator was on the scene flipping through the wreckage so firefighters could make sure the fire is still out.
 
"We are just keeping it under control today. Right now we are just spreading it out to make sure it is completely out," he said. "The problem we had, why we had to bring in the excavator, four stories came down and you can't get down under the fire. So we have to come in, separate it all, and wet it down."
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An unoccupied four-story apartment building burned to the ground Wednesday night. Fire officials are calling the fire suspicious at the moment.

 
Firefighters responded to 28 Morgan Ave. a little before 11 p.m. to find the condemned building fully engulfed. Flames could be seen throughout the downtown.
 
Deputy Fire Chief Robert Patenaude said he could see flames going through the roof and extensions of the fire running up behind the house and down the front. He immediately called for mutual aid from Adams and Clarksburg.
 
"It's going to be a 'surround and drown,'" he said. "No interior fire attempt was made as the fire was too well involved before we got here."
 
The building had been condemned by the city and marked with red Xs "so we would not even have made an attempt at entering," Patenaude said. 
 
Firefighters pulled hoses up Morgan Avenue to reach the blaze and maneuvered the ladder truck under the electrical wires on State Street to reach over the trees and pour water onto the building. Morgan Avenue is a steep narrow street and the lot below the vacant structure heavily wooded. Firefighters also worked to contain any fire from spreading into the surrounding wooded area. 
 
Patenaude said there was some trouble in with water flow because all the hoses were pulling from the same water main. 
 
"But once we got it set up, we knocked it down and kept going anywhere," he said. "Other than that, no injuries. Everyone did a great job."
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey was at the scene, as was interim Police Chief Mark Bailey, Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau and Building Inspector William Meranti. Northern Berkshire EMS was also called and National Grid temporarily disconnected power to the area.
 
Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control around 12:30 a.m.  State Street was closed from the Hadley Overpass south. Patenaude said around 1 a.m. that it would still be a couple hours before the street could fully open.
 
Residents were evacuated from an apartment building at the corner of State and Morgan for about two hours; they were let back in once their power was turned back on.
 
"It was an abandoned house. There was power for the house," said Patenaude. "I would label it suspicious at this time."
 
The 48-room building, which was built in 1880, is owned by Brandon Navom of North Adams.


Tags: structure fire,   

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Blue Vista Motor Lodge Brings Hospitality & View to Guests

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Among the upgrades at the renovated lodge is a sauna to refresh after a day of skiing and hiking. 
FLORIDA, Mass. — The Blue Vista Motor Lodge is still bringing hospitality to the town of Florida — even 100 years, many owners, names, and renovations later.
 
"When we were working on renovation plans, we found a postcard online from 1923 from the Whitcomb Summit Motor Lodge so that's kind of exciting that for over 100 years, people have been coming here and I think you can see why," owner Stella Downie said.
 
It all started with a small shack on Whitcomb Summit offering souvenirs and drinks that opened up with the highway in 1914. With growing popularity along the scenic byway, small cottages were built for motorists to stay on the Mohawk Trail's highest point.  
Unfortunately, in 1938, the store and a restaurant burned and the cottages started to get run down. In the 1960s, the cottages were replaced with the current building, named Whitcomb Summit Lodge. 
 
There were attempts to rejuvenate the summit for tourism over the preceding decades that fell by the wayside — from campgrounds and timeshares to fine dining and condominiums.
 
Downie purchased the building in December 2021, renovated the lodge in 2022 with a soft opening that fall, and officially opened in early 2023.
 
"We really wanted to clean it up and make it a beautiful place again for people to come and visit and really highlight the views," she said.
 
When Downie took over the property, she said it needed fixes and moving around. She took down all of the bordering dilapidated buildings that had long been abandoned, including the shuttered restaurant, to enhance the grounds. 
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