The police Detective Bureau is investigating the fire, described by some as an 'explosion.'
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A city man was seriously injured in what was described as an "explosion" in his State Road apartment.
The cause is unknown at this time and the incident is under investigation by North Adams Police and Fire and the State Fire Marshal's Office.
Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre said the individual was pulled out through the back window of a bedroom in his first-floor apartment with "significant burns to the lower extremities."
"He's been taken to the appropriate facility but at this time, we don't have any further information," the chief said.
The victim was reportedly taken to another hospital by medical helicopter from Berkshire Medical Center's North Adams campus.
The incident was reported as a structure fire at about 2:26 p.m. Lefebvre said there was a small amount of fire that was quickly snuffed when firefighters arrived.
The building at 1054 State Road has five apartments and is owned by David Chenail Sr. and Elaine M Chenail Trustees, according to city records.
The fire took place in the back of the apartment on the eastern side of the structure and was tightly contained to that area.
Lefebvre said there was no structural damage but there is heat and smoke damage that would prohibit the other tenants from staying in the building at least tonight.
"But it's definitely cleanable ... very, very little damage to the structure," he said.
State Road was closed from the line with Williamstown to Ashton Avenue for more than an hour because of fire hoses across the road. In addition to fire and police, Northern Berkshire EMS responded with three units.
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North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.
"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."
The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name.
"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."
The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected.
"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...
The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.
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The School Committee will be presented next week with a $20 million spending plan for fiscal 2025 that includes closing Greylock School and a reduction of 26 full-time positions.
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President Jamie Birge told the board of trustees on Thursday that the college has been in discussions for the last couple years with a donor who wishes at this point to remain anonymous.
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