By Tony Dobrowolski
The Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A fire damaged a three-story brick apartment building at 8 White Terrace yesterday afternoon, gutting two units and leaving at least 10 residents homeless.
Acting Fire Chief James Sullivan said it appeared that the two-alarm fire began in a first-floor apartment located in the rear on the west side of the building, then spread to the two units above it. Smoke could be seen pouring out of windows in both the front and the side of the building.
No injuries were reported, but the first- and second-floor rear apartments were gutted, while the third-floor unit sustained some fire damage. Sullivan estimated the total amount of damage to the 108-year-old structure at between $200,000 and $300,000. But without quick work by fire department personnel, Sullivan said, the damage could have been worse.
“The firefighters made a fantastic stop,” Sullivan said. “There’s no way they should have saved that building, but they did.”
Arthur Washburn, who lives in the apartment where the blaze apparently began, was arrested at the scene by Pittsfield Police and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Washburn was taken into custody because of the actions he committed at the time officers spoke to him about the fire, Sgt. Marc Strout said. He did not elaborate.
Sullivan said last night that the fire “doesn’t appear to be suspicious,” but added that investigators didn’t begin looking into the cause until the blaze had been brought under control. Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office and the Pittsfield fire and police departments were called to the scene.
All the residents who were home at the time the fire began were evacuated safely, Sullivan said. Only eight of the building’s 12 units were occupied. Authorities believe that only 10 people reside in the building, said Lindsay Erichetto, disaster director for the Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross. The residents will be provided alternate housing arrangements, Erichetto said.
The residents said the fire appeared to spread quickly.
“It just seemed like, all of a sudden, the smoke came up and the alarms went off,” said Gary Grogan, who lives in apartment 5.
“I started smelling something like smoke. Then I opened up the door into the hallway,” said Dawn Forbus of apartment 8. “The smoke was so thick that I couldn’t see (the hallway).”
Residents gathered in a parking lot located across the street from the building and watched firefighters battle the blaze
All 18 firefighters assigned to the city’s five engine companies who were on duty when the fire broke out responded to the blaze. A double-alarm fire requires the presence of all on-duty personnel. The first alarm sounded at 2:18 p.m., followed by the second alarm six minutes later.
The Dalton Fire Department was brought in to cover department headquarters on Columbus Avenue. The Great Barrington Fire Department provided an additional ladder truck.
With the main portion of the fire located in the rear of the building where entry was difficult, Sullivan said firefighters were required to contain the blaze first before they could enter the structure.
The White Terrace apartment complex consists of three separate three-story brick buildings that were all built in 1900. On Dec. 11, 1995, a fire ripped through 6 White Terrace, caving in the roof, and leaving at least 20 people homeless and two firefighters injured. That blaze was so intense that firefighters were ordered out of the building for their own safety 90 minutes after they arrived at the scene.
The three buildings are owned by White Terrace Realty Inc. of Pittsfield, and managed by Beth Pearson. Madeline Culpo of White Terrace Realty could not be reached for comment. Pearson declined to comment when reached on her cell phone.