A MAJOR FIRE IN GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, CITY CENTER Sunday destroyed a 4-story building.  The structure contained commercial tenants on the street level and about a dozen apartments on the upper stories.  The fire began around 8:30 am in a 3rd-floor apartment and spread quickly through the third and fourth floors.

photo by Nate Arnold
(Firegeezer likes the supply line hose reel)

There was an immediate rescue problem when the first units arrived as most of the tenants were trapped on the upper floors.  They all made it to the outside fire escapes, but had to be brought down by fire dept. ladders because the fire escapes didn’t lower to the ground.  As the first arriving departments were involved in the rescue efforts, mutual aid companies took hand lines into the building and advanced to the third floor.  But the fire expanded rapidly and everybody was then pulled out after it was determined the residents had all made it out.

Extra alarms were struck bringing units from 20 fire departments in Massachusetts and neighboring Vermont and New Hampshire.  Several units were still on the scene at sundown working the hot spots.

WWLP-TV has a video report from the fire scene:

The Republican has MORE.
Photographer Nate Arnold has a photo gallery from the fire HERE.