Great Barrington Pedestrian Killed on Route 7

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A Great Barrington man was killed Wednesday morning after being struck by a vehicle on Route 7. 
 
The victim was identified as Niall Nordoff, 41. According to his Facebook page, he attended Mount Everett Region School and worked in landscape design. 
 
Police reported that they had received two calls early Thursday -- one at 5:55 a.m. reporting a man wearing dark clothing walking in the middle of the roadway and another that he had been struck by a pickup as officers were responding. 
 
Officers arrived on scene moments later and discovered a man on the southbound
shoulder of the roadway. Medical treatment was immediately provided on scene but was
unsuccessful.
 
The accident occurred not far from the Sheffield town line. The pickup was a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Wayne Wilkinson, 58, of Sheffield.
 
The Police Department is investigating the incident with assistance from the State Police Detective Unit and Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section Unit, and the District Attorney's Office. The Great Barrington Fire Department, Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad and the Sheffield Police Department provided assistance at the scene.

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Butternut Fire Command Terminated After 2 Weeks

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — After about two weeks of working to contain the Butternut Fire, the incident command has ended.

"I am extremely proud of the leadership and firefighters that put forth such extraordinary work to bring this incident to a close," Town Manager Mark Pruhenski said in a press release issued on Sunday.

"It has been a long time since Great Barrington has seen such an incident, the collaboration between all of the agencies was impressive."

On Sunday around 2 p.m., Fire Chief Scott Turner made the decision because "based on weather changes, fuel conditions, and the monumental work of our firefighters and mutual aid, the fire is clearly under control and not expected to spread any further."

He added that Great Barrington's homes and businesses are safe. The wooded area is expected to remain dangerous for months but should regenerate in the spring.

The fire spread because of the extremely dry conditions over the past few months; some rain the week before followed by snow and sleet over the holiday had helped with containment efforts.

Personnel and apparatuses that had been in place 24/7 since Nov. 18 were released but the department will remain ready to respond to any extension or minor growth.

The fire consumed 1,670 acres, spanning over 3 miles in length with a perimeter of more than 10 miles.  Fire Lt. Brian Mead said the wildfire's potential for devastation far exceeded what firefighters were able to contain and not a single home or structure was damaged nor firefighter injured.

"At the end of an incident of this magnitude that has such risk, that is without a doubt, a victory," he said.

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