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Fire officials were on the scene Wednesday morning.

4-Year-Old Child Dies in North Adams Duplex Fire

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The duplex is tucked back off West Shaft Road.
Update Friday, March 14: The victim in Tuesday's fire has been identified by the DA's Office as Ensley Lacosse, age 4, 
 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters battled a late-night structure fire Tuesday that left two people seriously injured and one 4-year-old child dead.
 
According to the District Attorney's Office and local and state fire officials, the structure fire occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. at a duplex located on West Shaft Road. The North Adams Fire Department responded to the fire in the two-story, two-family home.
 
A video by a passing motorists shows the home fully engulfed in flames. 
 
Upon arrival, five occupants were outside, including an adult and minor with serious injuries. Firefighters were informed that one resident was unaccounted for; that person, a 4-year-old, was located deceased inside.
 
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct a formal identification procedure and determine the cause and manner of death.
 
"On behalf of the North Adams Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family that lost a loved one and their home," said Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre. "This is a terrible loss for them and our community."
 
All the occupants were transported to North Adams Regional Hospital. The two people who sustained serious injuries were flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
 
North Adams firefighters responded to the blaze with mutual aid from Clarksburg and Williamstown. It took about an hour and a half to knock down the bulk of the fire and personnel were still working at the scene well into the morning.
 
The origin and cause of the fire are being investigated by the North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and State Police assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's office. They are assisted by the Department of Fire Services' Code Compliance and Enforcement Unit.
 
More information will be released as it becomes available. The identification of the individuals in the fire will be released once their families have been notified.

 


Tags: fatal,   structure fire,   

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New Greylock School Project Underway

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Greylock neighborhood has been alerted to the beginning of demolition at the old Greylock School. 
 
Construction equipment is already at the site and the trees that lined Phelps Avenue in front of the school have been removed. 
 
A superintendent at the site confirmed that some abatement was occurring in preparation for demolition of the 1951 elementary school to make way for a new building. 
 
The $51 million project was awarded to Fontaine Bros. Inc. of Springfield last month. The entire project is estimated at $65 million though it is currently running $2 million under budget. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, wrote to residents in the area to inform them of the possibility of disruption from noise and construction equipment. 
 
City Councilor Marie McCarron read the letter into the council's minutes on Tuesday night. The mayor was not present.
 
In the missive, the mayor noted the city has entered into the agreement with Fontaine as general contractor and that Collier's International, as the owner's project manager, will continue to guide the project. 
 
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