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Adams firefighters respond to wall fire on Friday afternoon on West Street.
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Adams Firefighters Stop Fire in Home's Wall

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
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ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters were called out Friday afternoon to deal with a smoking wall in a duplex on West Street.
 
Fire Chief John Pansecchi said the fire was in the wall between 22 and 24 West.
 
"We had to open up on the second floor above that and on the porch on the 22 side just to edify the hotspots are out," he said. "We've still got a little smoking ... we're trying to figure out where it's from. ...
 
"We're doing our due diligence."
 
He said there was smoke coming up through the floorboards on the second floor when he arrived.
 
"You knew something was going on. It was just a matter of finding it," Pansecchi said.
 
Firefighters did see some flames inside but "very little ... we hit it pretty quick."
 
He expected to be on scene for another 30 or 45 minutes. That was around 4:30 p.m.
 
The is under investigation although Pansecchi was "90 percent sure" of cause. He declined to say until he had consulted with the other firefighters.
 
He expected the occupants of 22 to be able to return to their home. There was some damage to 24 including the door. No one was injured.
 
Cheshire responded for mutual aid; Lanesborough was called to cover the Cheshire station.

Tags: structure fire,   

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From Empty Storefronts to New Opportunities, Park Street Eyes a Comeback

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

The latest Park Street sale is the 1890 Carlow building, a Queen Ann flatiron, purchased this past spring. The former owners ran Coffee Liberation Front until retiring. 
ADAMS, Mass. — For several years, Park Street has seen a steady stream of businesses open their doors, only to close again after brief operations. Now, some are hopeful of a new beginning, with new businesses bringing fresh energy to the area.
 
Some residents can remember a time when people walked the streets of downtown Adams to shop or eat, whether it was getting your photo taken at Smith Studio, shopping at Schiff Clothing or Groves & Co. Women Apparel, or having lunch or ice cream at The Crest. 
 
Over time, storefronts closed, and the once-bustling street grew quieter, with fewer people on the sidewalks and parking spaces sitting empty.
 
Adams is a very walkable town, said Glen Diehl, who sits on ProAdams Board of Directors.  
 
Diehl highlighted ProAdams' destinations map that sits at the corner of Park Street and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. 
 
The town needs restaurants and businesses he said, and as more move in the nonprofit will update the map. 
 
Small-town retail corridors face challenges from the shift to online shopping and the high cost of renovating historic buildings to meet modern codes, real estate agent Jeffrey Loholdt of Engel and Volkers Wellesley. 
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