 "Photo: Nafis Azad/Collegian")
The cause of a two-alarm fire that resulted in an estimated $150,000 worth of damage at the Aspen Chase apartment complex on Main Street in Amherst yesterday has not yet been determined by fire officials.
State troopers attached to the State Fire Marshal's Office are currently investigating the cause of the fire in conjunction with fire investigators from the Amherst Fire (AFD) and Police Departments (APD), according to a press release issued last evening by AFD.
There were no civilian injuries, but two firefighters and one police officer suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and dehydration, and were treated at the scene, according to the press release.
At 11:54 a.m. the Amherst Emergency Communications Center dispatched off-duty and on-duty firefighters to the apartment complex after receiving a 911 cell phone call reporting the fire. Firefighters arriving on the scene observed heavy smoke emitting from the second-story of the building housing apartment units nine through 16.
Both firefighters and police officers participated in a search of the building to locate and evacuate residents. The occupants of unit 15, which suffered the most damage from the fire, were not immediately located, but arrived on the scene safely later in the day.
A second alarm was ordered at 12:02 p.m. recalling all of Amherst's off-duty career firefighters to the scene after the fire had spread up to the roof of the structure. Assisting fire crews from Belchertown, Hadley, Northampton, and South Hadley were also called to the scene. A total of 46 Amherst firefighters with six fire engines and three ambulances responded to the fire.
Firefighters were able to prevent the roof from burning off entirely, but were forced to exit the building after the fire damaged roof trusses and support systems, creating a potential safety hazard. An aerial ladder was used to finish extinguishing the fire on the roof and in the attic completely.
According to Amherst firefighter Bill Klaus, the fire was put out by approximately 2:30 p.m.
The Red Cross is in the process of relocating several of the residents of the building who were without insurance and lost all of their belongings in the fire. Apartment unit 15 was destroyed by the fire and seven other units suffered varying degrees of water and smoke damage. All eight units are uninhabitable for the time being.
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