WESTFIELD – A greenhouse behind an Orange Street address that had been a refuge for homeless cats is “a total loss” after it was seriously damaged by fire before city firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze late Monday evening.
A caller reported at 10:06 p.m. that the shed behind City Cab on Orange Street was ablaze.
Dep. Chief James Kane reports the shed was fully involved when firefighters arrived and nearby trees were starting to burn.
The frame structure had been covered in greenhouse plastic and little remains of the building’s skin.
Although firefighters have not determined the cause of the fire, Kane reports that the structure, which had been heated by a pellet stove, is a total loss.
The fire was extinguished by the crews of the two engines and the platform truck that responded to the fire.
Although the frame of the greenhouse remains standing, many of the timbers at the rear of the structure are heavily charred and most of the plastic walls are gone.
Owner Zane R. Venne said yesterday that he had kept the interior warm so that homeless cats in the area would have a warm refuge.
Venne said, however, that he has had problems from time to time with homeless persons who have taken advantage of his concern for the cats and used the building to keep themselves warm.
He said that he suspects that the fire began when one of them disturbed the pellet stove used to heat the greenhouse.
