The only sign Monday of a Saturday fire at Pioneer Village Apartments on Franklin Street is a pile of debris under an open window. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Residents of a Franklin Street apartment building were displaced over the weekend after a fire disrupted electrical service to the house.
Emergency dispatchers sent firefighters and police to the Pioneer Village Apartments at 62 Franklin St. in response to a 3:47 p.m. Saturday report of smoke and the firefighters responded with the platform truck, three pumper trucks and an ambulance under the command of Dep. Chief Mark Devine.
Devine reports that smoke was showing from the walls when the firefighters arrived and the walls and ceiling of a second floor apartment were opened to access the fire.
Officer Richard Mazza responded to assist the firefighters and reports the fire fighting effort made it necessary to close Franklin Street at 3:55 from Connor Avenue to Maple Street. The street was reopened to traffic at 4:41 p.m.
Devine found the fire to have been electrical in origin and, although the fire was extinguished promptly, electrical power was disconnected to the whole building. The residents were forced to find alternate accommodations.
The building appears to house eight apartment but Red Cross representatives report they were only asked to provide assistance to two tenants from separate apartments.
Dawn Leaks, the Red Cross regional communications director, said Monday that housing and food assistance was provided over the weekend and said that Red Cross officials will be available to refer the residents to agencies which may be able to help them recover from the fire.
The property manager was advised that the building would have to be inspected before electrical service could be restored.
Jonathan Flagg, the city’s building inspector said Monday morning that two of the building’s apartments were affected by the fire.
He said that the owner was told that once the electrical supply to those two apartments is isolated power can be restored to the rest of the building and the residents may then return to their homes.
Flagg said that the actual damage caused by the fire was not extensive. He said that there was no structural damage to the building and called the damage “mostly cosmetic.” He estimated the cost of the fire between $5,000 and $10,000.
In an unrelated fire on Friday, a residential trailer on Klondike Avenue caught fire while a person was cooking.
Firefighters under the command of Dep. Chief Andrew Hart responded to a 12:46 p.m. alarm and Hart reports that smoke was showing when firefighters arrived.
An occupant was found to be inside the kitchen of the trailer trying to extinguish the fire. The woman said that a pan on the stove had caught fire and the kitchen cabinets had ignited.
Hart reports that the fire was extinguished promptly but there was smoke damage throughout the trailer and electrical service to the trailer was shut off.
Dep. Chief Patrick Egloff, the department’s fire prevention officer, said Monday morning that although the trailer was not completely destroyed immediate residency is not advisable.
The occupant reportedly suffered minor burns but refused transport to Noble Hospital for medical treatment.
