Fire Chief John Pansecchi, in white, talks strategy on Wednesday.
ADAMS, Mass. — At least eight fire companies responded to a Wednesday morning a structure fire in the old MacDermid Graphics building.
Firefighters and responders from Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Savoy, North Adams, Pittsfield, Williamstown. Hinsdale also sent its rehab bus and Northern Berkshire EMS was on the scene with its rehab trailer.
The fire was reported at about 7:30 a.m. and black smoke could be seen looming over the old mill building at 10 Harmony St. Harmony and Prospect streets were closed to traffic.
The Adams Police Department posted on Facebook that Hoosac Valley Elementary School and Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School classes were cancelled for Wednesday. The schools are located not far from the structure.
Their post also reads, "Children on the bus already for Hoosac Valley Elementary School will be brought to the middle school gym at Hoosac Valley High School."
"BArT was already in session and will be evacuating to the Adams Visitor Center."
Fire Chief John Pansecchi said firefighters are approaching the blaze by pouring water at it from every angle.
"We have a fire in the building, looks like we have a lot of fire in the building and we're trying to get to it," he said. "Places have already collapsed prior to the fire, place that have collapsed since the fire, so not a lot of activity inside the building."
The mill, the former W.R. Grace, is made up of a number two- and three-story structures covering about 236,749 square feet. The fire was located in a long building toward the back of the property that runs alongside the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The roof was fully engulfed in flames and collapsed in on itself around by 8 a.m.
Trucks from Williamstown were being situated in the Russell Field parking lot and firefighters were trying to find a location where they could attack the blaze from the trail.
Pansecchi said the building is supposed to be vacant.
"I was working when the call came in," he said. "My guys did a great job getting set up putting some hose lines and being prepared and got some plans put together when I got here to extend that and that's what were looking at."
The cause of the blaze is unknown at this time but the state fire marshal was on the scene.
Pansecchi said firefighters are providing observations from the outside and the North Adams drone has been deployed to determine the extent of the blaze. The buildings are large and unsafe in most cases to enter.
"We're making good progress but we're not at a point I'd call it contained," he said. "There's already places that have caved in prior to this."
He's been joined by fire chiefs from the various departments, who have been aiding the attack from different fronts.
"It's a really big help [having them] because you've got so much going on fighting a fire you don't think of the other things," the Adams chief said. "They start making suggestions."
Some of the structures on the complex date to 1881, when Renfrew Manufacturing built to produce jacquard textiles. It was the last asset of the company, and its machines and inventory were stripped out in 1927.
The mill's had various owners and periods of vacancy over the last century, but was probably best known as W.R. Grace, a specialty chemical company that bought it as part of the acquisition of Dewey & Almy Chemical in the mid-1950s.
MacDermid took it over in 1999 but closed the plant three years later, putting 86 people out of work.
The property has been vacant since and was purchased by 10 Harmony Street LLC for $53,500 in 2019, according the online assessor's records. Principal of the LLC is listed as John D. Duquette Jr.
Staff writers and photographers Breanna Steele, Jack Guerino, Tammy Daniels and Marty Alvarez contributed to this article.
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Adams Mill Fire Investigation Continues, Violations Found
Staff Reports
ADAMS, Mass. — According to local and state fire officials, while the investigation into April's Harmony Street mill fire is still open, there is no evidence that the fire was intentionally set.
Following their examination of the scene, Chief Pansecchi and code compliance officers from the Department of Fire Services identified several violations of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. Specifically, they found that the property owner had violated several terms of a permit issued in 2019 by:
Failing to install an approved lock box at the gate for fire department emergency access;
Failing to seek a new permit when the building became occupied during unsanctioned work; and
Failing to obtain a hot work permit for cutting and grinding metal operations within the structure.
Failing to abide by a permit issued by the local fire chief constitutes a violation of the Fire Code. In consultation with Pansecchi, DFS code compliance officers issued three citations to Harmony Street LLC, each for $100. Having a state compliance officer issue the citations ensures that they will be available to testify at a hearing and/or appeal on the citations, Pansecchi said.
The property has been vacant since MacDermid Graphics closed in 2002, and was purchased by 10 Harmony Street LLC for $53,500 in 2019, according the online assessor's records. Principal of the LLC is listed as John D. Duquette Jr.
The origin and cause of the fire are being investigated by the Adams Fire Department, Adams Police Department, and State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office. They determined that the fire began somewhere in the center of the structure, and while they have not yet reached a determination as to its cause they found no evidence that it was intentionally set.
In the course of their efforts, investigators learned of unsanctioned, unpermitted hot work being performed inside the building. This involved using oxy-acetylene torches to cut metal for scrap. Cutting, grinding, welding, and other hot work requires training, certification, and a permit from the local fire department because of the inherent fire hazard posed by sparks and slag.
The Adams Fire Department was dispatched to 10 Harmony St. shortly after 7:30 a.m. on April 16 for a report of smoke coming from the building. The first responding personnel confirmed smoke and flames at the 237,000-square foot mill building and began requesting mutual aid and Northern Berkshire EMS to support local resources. In the minutes and hours that followed, the fire went to two alarms plus, drawing firefighters and apparatus from Pittsfield, Cheshire, North Adams, Lanesborough, Hinsdale, Dalton, Savoy, and Williamstown.
As the volume of smoke produced by the growing fire in a former industrial building prompted concerns about air quality in the area, two nearby schools were closed in an abundance of caution and residents with respiratory vulnerabilities were advised to shelter in place. Pansecchi requested a DFS Hazmat team to monitor the air at various locations. Chemicals that had previously been stored at the site had been removed years ago, however, and technicians found no imminent hazards to first responders or the community.
Following their examination of the scene, Chief Pansecchi and code compliance officers from the Department of Fire Services identified several violations of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. click for more
Corey Charron, a senior at Hoosac Valley High School, gave the Selectmen on Wednesday a presentation of data he'd pulled from the center's log books.
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Reflecting national trends, schools in the Berkshires and across Western Massachusetts have experienced a decrease in student-athletes playing football. Previously, Drury fielded a cooperative team with Mount Greylock, while Hoosac Valley and McCann Tech operated independent football programs. click for more
The three candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen — Joseph Nowak, Jay Meczywor and Jerome Socolof — answered questions during the 90-minute forum at the former Firehouse Cafe.
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