Fire at Former Great Barrington Gift Shop Under Investigation

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The former shop at 232 Stockbridge Road.
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A structure fire on Wednesday night at the former Wonderful Things gift shop is under investigation. 
 
The fire was reported just before 8 p.m. as near the Goodwill, which is next to the building at 232 Stockbridge Road.
 
Chief Charles Burger arrived on scene within minutes and struck the first alarm for a working fire. Heavy brown smoke was pouring from every area of the old 2 1/2 story building.
 
Great Barrington's first engine arrived a few minutes later. Hose lines were simultaneously stretched to the basement, first, and second floors where fire was found. The bulk of the fire was quickly taken down. However, fire extended to many void areas in the walls and ceilings of the building and crews works for several hours to ensure all hot spots were extinguished. All crews were back in service by midnight.
 
Great Barrington firefighters responded with three engines, a ladder, and rescue. They were assisted by a ladder from Monterey and an engine from Sheffield. Southern Berkshire Ambulance and the Support Group provided rehab on scene. Additional fire calls in town were covered by Stockbridge, Sheffield, and Egremont fire departments.
 
Stockbridge Road was shut down for several hours. The police worked to detour traffic.
 
"I’m proud of the hard work done by our firefighter's and mutual aid companies to contain fire throughout such and old building," said Burger.
 
The building, a residential structure on just over a quarter acre with downstairs retail space and four apartments, is listed for sale at $299,000.
 
The fire is under investigation by the Great Barrington Police and Fire departments and the State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office.
 


Tags: structure fire,   

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Fairview Hospital Recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) has announced that Fairview Hospital has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, the 13th straight year Fairview has been so honored. 
 
Chartis' annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation's rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX.
 
"The South Berkshire community expects and relies on only the highest level of care from our caregivers and staff at Fairview Hospital," said Tony Scibelli, BHS Vice President and Fairview Chief Operating Officer. "This ongoing recognition epitomizes the commitment our staff makes each and every day for each and every patient who walks through Fairview's doors."
 
"The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award program elevates the very best performers and helps create a roadmap for those seeking to improve financial and operational performance while continuing to care for the communities they serve," said Michael Topchik, Executive Director, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. "This is our 15th year recognizing the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and we're thrilled to be able to celebrate this milestone with this year's winners."
 
According to a press release, the INDEX is the industry's most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.
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