Pittsfield Fire Knocks Down Christmas Day Blaze

02:37PM / Monday, December 26, 2022Print Story | Email Story

A first-responder caught an image of the fire before the Fire Department got to the scene.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Christmas Day fire on East Mill Street displaced a family of five.

Deputy Chief Daniel Garner reported that the Fire Department was alerted to the blaze at 23 East Mill at 4:39 p.m. on Dec. 25. Firefighters found flames venting from windows on the first floor of the 2 1/2 story wood frame structure.

One crew conducted a primary search to ensure the three-unit building was evacuated while others worked to extinguish the fire in the first-floor kitchen. The fire was knocked down and under control within 20 minutes but the room sustained fire damage and the first floor smoke damage. Garner put the damage estimate as less than $2,000.

The cause of the fire was not yet determined and the family was being assisted by the Red Cross. There were no injuries reported.

Tags: structure fire,

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CBRSD Budget Decreases; Dalton Assessment High

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Monday, February 16, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District has decreased its initial operating projections from nearly 10 percent down to 4.9 percent, but the Dalton's budget is still strained because of its high assessment.

During a School Committee in January, a tentative budget was presented, which included a pessimistic look at the uncontrollable costs. Since then, updated figures have come back and substantial reductions were made.

Preliminary projections had the district's operating budget at $36,375,938, however, the it is now eyeing a significantly lower operating budget of $33,767,460.

The original budget included $2,881,285 in increases and just $454,040 in decreases.

Further adjustments — such as a $621,000 reduction in insurance costs, a $70,000 decrease in state charter school assessments, and several cuts to staff positions, curriculum, Chromebooks, insurance, capital projects, and other post-employment benefits — resulted in additional reductions totaling $1,824,915.

Despite these efforts, the town's assessment is at $1,148,177 — a $126,838 increase, or 12.42 percent.

However, when factoring in capital assessments, the increase drops to 10.1 percent. Dalton's capital assessment stands at $1,529,099, representing a decrease of $56,119.

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