Fire Damages First Street Multifamily Home in Pittsfield

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A fire early Tuesday morning caused extensive damage to a multifamily home on First Street, displacing residents and prompting an investigation by local and state authorities.
 
The blaze, which broke out around 1 a.m. at 233 First Street, is being investigated by the Pittsfield Fire Department, Pittsfield Police, and the State Fire Marshal's Office.
 
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames on the back exterior of the 2 ½-story home. Crews quickly worked to contain the fire, extinguishing it outside before moving to the second floor, where the fire had spread. Additional teams searched the building and ventilated smoke from the structure.
 
The home sustained significant fire, smoke, and water damage, with the first and second floors particularly affected. The Red Cross is assisting displaced residents with housing and other needs. A fire crew remains on-site for monitoring and investigative support.

Tags: structure fire,   

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Berkshire Athenaeum Seed Library Open for the Season

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Adult services staff Olivia Bowers and Tom Jorgenson cut the green ribbon on the seed library, opening the program for the season.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum hosted a ribbon cutting for the seasonal opening of its seed library on Saturday.
 
The athenaeum has had a seed library since 2018 and last year had 217 program members.
 
"It always gets really great membership," Adult Services and Programming Supervisor Olivia Bowers said, "but we really want to advertise that it's available. It's a resource for free seeds to grow healthy vegetables, grow flower gardens and really enjoy nature in the Berkshires."
 
The seed library is funded by the volunteer organization Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, which raises funds for the library programming and needs.
 
People who want to get seeds must have a library card to sign up. 
 
Members are able to sign out up to 10 seed packets for the season but are also encouraged to exchange seeds from what they grow or get.
 
"The idea is that, yes, it actually is a library, you can take things but we also encourage you to bring seeds back to us and we can use those again for next year," Bowers said.
 
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