image description — Firefighters quickly contained a fire that started in the garage but its cause is under investigation.

Pittsfield Firefighters Respond to Blaze on East Street

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
09:39PM / Sunday, September 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A section of East Street was closed for more than an hour as firefighters knocked down a blaze at a building on the Haddad Subaru lot.

The fire was in a former home turned office between the Ford and Subaru dealerships. It was called in just before 8 p.m.

"There was a fire in the wall in the garage," said Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Noyes, referring to the small two-car garage on the east side of the building. "The investigators are on scene trying to figure out what started it."

He estimated it took about 15 minutes to contain and douse the blaze but checking for extensions in the building "takes quite a bit of time."

The damage could be seen about the one-story garage where it connects to the two-story Dutch colonial.

Tags: structure fire,

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Pittsfield's Christian Center Seeks Community Input on Services, Name

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:57PM / Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Worker Dionisio Kelly, left, board member Kenny Warren, Executive Director Jessica Jones, and Food and Services Director Karen Ryan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's a new year, and The Christian Center is looking at how it can serve the area in 2026 and beyond.

This includes a possible new name fueled by community forums in late January and early February.

"We're hoping people will come in and talk about the name, talk about what programs, what services they would like to see from us. What would be most meaningful," Executive Director Jessica Jones said.

"Because the population in this area has changed quite a bit, and we no longer serve just the West Side. We serve people from other parts of Berkshire County. So the hope is just to make it more inclusive."

The Christian Center was a stop on Berkshire Community College and NAACP Berkshires' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The nonprofit will hold three input sessions at 193 Robbins Ave. to inform future programs and branding, and ensure that West Side voices are heard.

The sessions will be held on:

Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The center dates back to the early 1890s, when it was the Epworth Mission started by the Methodist Church to serve newly arrived immigrants and help them assimilate. The Christian Center was incorporated in 1974.

Over the decades, it has drifted away from a faith-based organization to a space for anyone who needs a meal, a warm jacket, a place to bring their child, or a meeting place. A space for everyone.

This is what center officials wanted reflected in the name.

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