Electrical Fire at North Adams Stop & Shop Forces Evacuation

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A malfunctioning refrigerated case forced the local Stop & Shop grocery to evacuate customers for more than an hour.

Firefighters responded to a call from the store shortly before 9 p.m., and minutes later called for all off-duty firefighters to stand by the station.

"They didn't know what type of fire it was and then en route, they got a second call that they had attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and they couldn't do it," said Fire Director Stephen Meranti. "When the guys got here they found a fire in the meat case in the back of the building."

But the fire was pretty much out by the time firefighters arrived after the store manager hit with an extinguisher. They did have to disconnect the electrical, which was still live, and vented the building.

"It was an electrical connection in the cooler so that malfunctioned and that caught some of the plastic shelving on fire," Meranti said. The small fire damaged and burned the back of the cooler.  

The store was allowed to reopen before 10 p.m. after inspections by the building and health departments on the condition the contents in the cooler and near the damaged area were removed.