Pittsfield Announces Warming Center Availability

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. Due to the frigid temperatures expected into this weekend, the City of Pittsfield announces the following locations will be available for residents looking for some relief from the cold.
 
The Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Avenue, will be open for regular business hours on Friday, Jan. 30, until 5:00p.m. and on Saturday, Jan. 31 from 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
 
The Ralph J. Froio Senior Center, located at 330 North Street, will be open on Sunday, February 1 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
 
For those that are seeking shelter overnight, please visit the warming center at the Pearl located at 21 Pearl Street, which will be open from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. every night.
 
As always, to report any emergencies, call 911.
 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive. 

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour. 

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.  

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children.  The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation.  One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue. 

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out. 

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release. 

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