Mill buildings burn in overnight blaze - Turners Falls, MA

Mill buildings burn in overnight blaze
Sunday, May 27, 2007By MICHAEL McAULIFFEmmcauliffe@repub.com
MONTAGUE - Firefighters from throughout Western Massachusetts and from as far afield as Brattleboro, Vt., and Winchester, N.H., were called in early yesterday morning to battle a major blaze at the former Strathmore Paper Co. Plant in the village of Turners Falls here.

The cause of the fire, which was brought under control by firefighters from at least 35 fire departments after several hours, is under investigation.

Turners Falls fire Capt. James P. Bartus estimated the blaze caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

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No one was injured in the fire, Bartus said. The Turners Falls Fire Department received the call there was a fire shortly before 3 a.m., he said.

"We could see the fire from the top of the hill here in town," he said. "We could see the glow in the sky."

The fire, in a complex of 11 buildings that is now largely occupied by Western Recycling, destroyed a five-story structure in which were stored rolls of paper, skids of cardboard and large rolls of plastic.

"It overwhelmed the sprinkler system in there, if it was even working," Bartus said.

"We don't know how long it burned before somebody noticed it," he added.

Bartus said last night that while under control, the fire had not yet been extinguished.

"We have a few hot spots popping up," he said.

Fire Capt. David Dion said the owner of Western Recycling, Jerry Jones, had an apartment in the building that was destroyed. Another business in the area, Southworth Paper Co., sustained damage.

Among investigators probing the fire are state police and personnel from the state fire marshal's office.

Firefighters who responded to the blaze came from Agawam, Amherst, Ashburnham, Athol, Bernardston, Brattleboro Vt., Charlemont, Chicopee, Colrain, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Fitchburg, Gill, Greenfield, Holyoke, Leverett, Leyden, Montague Center, Northfield, Northampton, Orange, Petersham, Shelburne, Shelburne Falls, South Deerfield, Southampton, Southwick, Springfield, Sunderland, Wendell, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton and Winchester, N.H.

Firefighters from Amherst and Winchester, N.H., also covered the Turners Falls Fire Department during the fire.