Pittsfield Firefighters Respond to Two-Alarm Structure Fire on First Street

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Fire Department responded to a report of a possible structure fire at 233-235 First St. 
 
Upon arrival, Engine 3 reported heavy fire and smoke from the 235 side of the five-apartment building. First St. Command was established, and a Second Alarm was called, bringing all on-duty apparatus and personnel to the scene.
 
Engine 3 and Engine 2 initiated an interior attack, while Engines 6 and 5 conducted search and rescue operations. It was unknown if the building was occupied at the time. Engine 1 was assigned as the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT).
 
The fire was brought under control in approximately one hour. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. Off-duty Pittsfield fire personnel and the Dalton Fire Department provided mutual aid to cover the city. Eversource and Berkshire Gas secured utilities to the building.
 
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Pittsfield Fire Department's Fire Investigation Unit and investigators from the State Fire Marshall's Office.

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Pittsfield Says Goodbye to Wahconah Park Grandstand

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Peter Marchetti and 'Banjo Joe' Ryan lead a chorus of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' with a nod to the Pittsfield Suns. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people bid farewell to the Wahconah Park grandstand on Saturday with a round of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs, and stories about the ballpark. 

"Sometimes you felt like you were at Fenway Park, but mostly it just felt like home," Parks Commissioner Clifford Nilan said. 

"How lucky the players were to be playing in this park, and how lucky we were to be able to watch." 

Wahconah Park's 75-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option; a $15 million rebuild is on the table. Demolition is expected to begin soon, and the city planned the "Farewell to the Grandstand" event to celebrate its past and look forward to the future. 

The old grandstand also had to be redrafted when estimates for construction came in at more than $200,000. It would be built at about half the length of the wooden structure it replaced for a sum of $115,000.

"In the early 1900s, Wahconah Park went from concept on paper to construction. The grandstand was built between the 1949 and 1950 seasons. It was designed to seat about 2,000 fans. A few decades later, in 2005, Wahconah Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places," Mayor Peter Marchetti said. 

"That longevity matters because it connects today's games, school events, and community gatherings to more than a century of shared memories." 

Marchetti and "Banjo Joe" Ryan led a verse of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," adding "Root, root, root for the Suns, if they don't win it's a shame." Pittsfield and its longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns, have signed a negotiating rights agreement, solidifying that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated. 

Artifacts of the ballpark were displayed in cases outside of the grandstand for the event, along with banners depicting the park's history and a roped-off area for community members to see the structure one last time. 

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