Fire Evacuates Ashland High-Rise, North Adams,Ma

Fire Evacuates Ashland High-Rise

Clarksburg Fire Chief Chip Chesbro communicates with
other firefighters within the Ashland Park Apartment building earlier
this morning as they evacuate its residents and put out a fire. Photo's By Rick Pennock

By John M. Krol North Adams Transcript

NORTH ADAMS -- Mayor John Barrett III said the fire at the Ashland Park Apartments that kept firefighters from three towns busy for more than two hours last night -- extinguishing flames and evacuating tenants -- was not the result of arson.
"It appeared to occur in an individual's apartment" and not set by an outside party, Barrett said.
North Adams Fire Director Craig Rougeau said this morning that several tenants of the elderly high rise facility, were taken to North Adams Regional Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, while one was treated for serious burns. One firefighter was treated and released from the hospital after suffering an injured knee during a rescue attempt.
In all, Rougeau said 20 tenants were assisted or carried out of the building, while the other 104 residents also evacuated the building. Family members of the displaced tenants were contacted last night, while a number of residents were put up in the Holiday Inn.
The North Adams Fire Department was dispatched at about 1:30 a.m. to respond to an activated fire alarm in the building and within minutes of the crew's arrival, smoke was seen emanating from the top floors of the building.

With five firefighters on duty, the other 17 off-duty firefighters from the city fire department were called in soon after the fire was reported. Twenty members of the Clarksburg and Williamstown fire departments responded with mutual aid to the scene to help extinguish the flames. According to a witness, firefighters equipped with oxygen masks trudged through the heavy smoke to assure that about three dozen tenants were evacuated.
"The fire department did a great job," Barrett said. "It could have been a very serious situation, with many people in the building with disabilities. There could have been a lot of loss of life."
The fire was confined to the second floor of the high rise with heavy smoke damage to the north side of that floor. At 8 a.m., evacuated tenants from that unit were in the lobby of the building, saying they were waiting for a fire marshall to arrive.
A fire truck remained on the scene to deter any mischief during a fire watch this morning and the second floor remained restricted.
Members of the NAFD, North Adams Police Department, North Adams Ambulance, and Williamstown and Clarksburg Fire Departments were all on the scene of the blaze early this morning.
The NAPD is investigating the cause of the fire.
Rick Pennock contributed to this report.