Great Barrington Fire Douses Blaze at Mill Complex

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Great Barrington Fire Department extinguished a fire at an abandoned mill building on Saturday afternoon, the second fire in a week caused by embers igniting during dry weather. 

 

Just after noon, the department was dispatched for a roof fire behind the Housatonic Fire Station (Great Barrington Station 2), according to Chief Charles Burger.

 

Crews quickly confirmed that the roof of the abandoned Power House Mill — a 200-foot by 100-foot masonry building with 50-foot ceilings that's part of the Monument Mills complex — was on fire. The building is located at 174 Front St.

 

Firefighters arrived on scene within minutes and began attacking the fire. The department's 100-foot tower ladder was needed to access the fire because of the height of the building.

 

The fire was quickly brought under control and contained to the roof of half the structure, and crews cleared the scene by 2:30 p.m. The Stockbridge Fire Department assisted on scene, the Lenox Fire Department sent a Rapid Intervention Team and the Sheffield Fire Department provided station coverage.

 

An investigation by the Fire Department indicated that the owner of the mill was burning brush about 75 feet from the building and the embers caught the building's roof on fire.

 

Saturday's fire is the second that occurred in Great Barrington this week. At noon on Monday, April 10, firefighters responded to a porch fire at 18 Sumner St. It was contained to the porch and the house remained inhabitable. An investigation determined that the fire began from a cigarette disposed of in the mulch next to the porch.

 

"Is it extremely important that community members remember to properly dispose of smoking material and monitor brush fires, especially as we head into warmer, dryer weather," Burger said. "As we've seen this week, anything with embers can easily start a fire."