Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, October 30.

Shaun Koonce, 33, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute - his second offense - and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.

He was released on $3,500 cash or $35,000 surety bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at his home on September 12, 2013.

Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, October 31.

Dennis Hall Jr., 33, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of attempt to commit a crime, to wit: armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

He was released on personal recognizance and the charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in Pittsfield on March 16, 2013.

Jeff Burdick, 33, of North Adams had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, two counts of oxycodone with intent to distribute and a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.

He was released on personal recognizance. Burdick allegedly possessed the drugs with intent to sell them in North Adams between March 156, 2013 and April 7, 2013. He also allegedly conspired with others to sell cocaine and oxycodone between March 3, 2013 and April 30, 2013.

	A fire completely destroyed the National Street home. At left as seen in a realty advertisement.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The foam house on National Street  burned to the ground Thursday afternoon.

The seasonal home is somewhat of a local landmark. The foam created a rounded, bubble-like appearance which led many to dub it  "The Flintstone House."

According to Fire Chief Charlie Durfee, firefighters responded to the fully engulfed structure fire shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday.

The house, a wooden structure encased in foam, was already mostly burnt and the firefighters launched a "surround and drown" attack to prevent the flames from damaging nearby properties.

"I was on Narragansett Street, came around the corner and saw this house fully involved and called in a structure fire," Durfee said. "It's the foam house at the bottom on National Street and was built right around 1972."

The foam fueled the fire and the focus was on protecting nearby properties, Durfee said. The flames were so hot that they dried up leaves wet from the rain and threatened to spread. Pieces of foam flew in the sky and littered nearby properties.

The electric was shut off after the wires caught fire.

Durfee said he immediately called in support from Cheshire and Pittsfield and attacked the fire from both National Street and from Imperial Street — which runs parallel — to put out the flames in about 45 minutes. County Ambulance responded on scene as well.

The building at 45 National St. is used seasonally and no one was there at the time. It is owned by Denise Barrierre of Rhode Island. The small structure had one bedroom and one bath and was about a 1,000 square feet in size.

It was built in the 1970s with foam with a focus on being energy efficient. There were no firefighters injured in the process of knocking down the flames during the heavy rain.

The cause is undetermined after a fire inspector arrived on the scene Thursday afternoon.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A residential unit in Salisbury Estates was heavily damaged by a two-alarm fire on Tuesday morning.

Deputy Chief Michael Polidoro said the roof blaze, which could be clearly seen from nearby streets, was called in 10:34 a.m. by a neighbor reporting smoke from the unit at 8 Baver Drive.

"On arrival, we had heavy smoke pushing out of the eaves of the building, from both ends of the gable," said Polidoro. "In the crawlspace above, we found heavy fire."

The deputy chief called in a double alarm because the potential for the fire to spread rapidly through the attic crawlspace that connects the units.

"We kept it contained to that particular unit ...  It's all wide open up there so it could have traveled the whole length," he said. "I needed the manpower and the equipment here to do that."

Firefighters on the scene searched the home to ensure it was vacant; Polidoro believed that only one person lived in the residence and that he or she had left earlier in the morning.

He roughly estimated the fire damage at $150,000 but could not say if the structure would have to be completely razed.

"There is heavy structural damage to the roof, it has a trussed roof which makes it more susceptible to fire ...  they collapse a lot quicker and it makes it very dangerous," said Polidoro.

Because of the roof damage, a upper wall was being removed to allow firefighters access to the building. "It's too dangerous to work underneath it because of the fire damage," he said. "It presented a collapse issue so it's easier to take the wall off."

At least three other units sustained smoke damage. The building and wire inspectors, as well as the department's fire investigation unit were at the scene.

Polidoro said there was no indication the blaze was suspicious, but "when no one is home [when a fire starts] we like to do a thorough investigation to determine cause."

One firefighter incurred minor injuries in what the deputy chief described as "slips, trips and falls" that happen in these situations.

Salisbury Estates is a retirement community offering independent and assisted living for adults age 55 and older, operated as a subsidiary of Berkshire Health Systems with Kimball Farms.

Pownal Pedestrian Clipped by Minivan

POWNAL, Vt. — A man walking along Route 7 on Sunday evening was clipped by a minvan but was not seriously injured.

Ronald Martin was walking along the northbound shoulder at about 5 p.m. when he was struck by the passenger side mirror of a
passing vehicle, according to the police report.

The 2003 Ford Windstar was operated by Jeanna Brown of Pownal who was tending to Martin as State Police arrived. Martin was transported to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center to be evaluated and treated for his injuries which did not appear to be serious. They appeared to be bumps and bruises to the hands, stomach area and legs. The van's mirror was broken off.
 
No charges were filed in this incident.

North Adams Man Arrested on Warrant in Vermont

WINDHAM, Vt. — A North Adams, Mass., man was arrested on Monday for an outstanding warrant in Massachusetts after a traffic stop in Vermont.

Trooper Nicholas Arlington stopped a vehicle being driven by Kris Maytas, 59, on Windham Hill Road just before 4 p.m. because of a moving violation.

Maytas was arrested for operating on a criminally suspended license. His passenger, Andre Maytas, 60, was arrested for having an active arrest warrant from 2007 for writing bad checks. Andre Maytas was transported to Southern State Correctional Facility where he is being held on $1,500 bail. He is to appear in District Court in Bennington on Tuesday. Kris Maytas was cited and released. He is to appear in Windham District Court in Brattleboro on Dec. 10.