GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — An outdoor storage area at Ward's Nursery caught fire on Friday and damaged the exterior of an apartment house less than a dozen feet away on Silver Street. 

 

The fire was reported at about 12:52 p.m. and firefighters on Engine 2 could see heavy black smoke while en route to the Main Street business and found a large outdoor fire in the rear of the nursery complex that was extending to an adjacent wood staircase to a second-floor apartment of a stucco multifamily building off Silver Street. The apartment wasn't occupied at the time.

 

A second alarm was called and Engine 2 quickly stretched a hose line rapidly knocking down the fire on the building and then worked to control the outdoor fire. Engine 5's crew deployed a second line and immediately went to check for extension and verify the apartments were empty. The fire was completely under control in approximately 15 minutes.

 

A ladder truck also responded and firefighters were assisted at the by scene police and the Fire District, the Fire Department Support Group and the Egremont and Monterey Fire Departments.

 

The Great Barrington station was staffed by an engine each from Lee, Lenox and Sheffield, with the Stockbridge Fire Department handling a fire alarm activation at the Berkshire Food Co-op.

 

"I am very proud of our firefighters for making such a quick stop with very limited manpower initially. It was their quick work and the assistance of the Great Barrington Police Department, an off-duty visiting firefighter, and off-duty paramedic that limited the spread this fire had the potential of," said interim Fire Chief James Mead. "I would like to thank all responding mutual aid departments, that having additional resources on the road early in the incident is imperative to a positive outcome whether they are used or not."