8 alarm fire in Southbridge, Ma

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• published: 29 Aug 2016
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Shortly after battling an 8 alarm blaze that destroyed several downtown businesses and a rooming house Sunday afternoon, firefighters fought a second fire at a three-family home on nearby Benefit Street. Firefighters from more than a dozen towns contained the six-alarm blaze that burned a commercial building and rooming house at 312 Main St., near Central Street. The first fire, which started Sunday afternoon, consumed the upper floors of the brick structure. Firefighters were soaking the structure from several tower trucks set up in the front and rear of the building. By 5:30 p.m., it appeared the fire had been extinguished. Hunter Foote, who owns a commercial building on Central Street that was damaged by the fire said Sunday night he also owns the property at 6 Benefit St., but he did not believe the fires are related. Fire Chief Mark Difronzo said the Main Street/Central Street blaze presented an immediate challenge with heavy smoke conditions when firefighters arrived. “We found we got overwhelmed pretty quickly given the volume of fire that was in the building,” he said. About four business were affected by the blaze, including Liberty Tax Service, Mane Creations, Best Driving School and a clothing store. The chief said storefronts in the building have changed frequently because of the bad economy and he was not sure exactly how many businesses are currently housed there. The heat and humidity left firefighters physically drained as they fought to save adjacent buildings which are very close on Main Street. The chief said firefighters were able to search the interior of the building but conditions quickly became too dangerous. “At a certain point it was just not worth keeping firefighters inside,” he said. One firefighter was treated and released from a local hospital after suffering heat exhaustion. The upper floors of the building are a rooming house, neighbors said. One person was rescued by firefighters early on, the chief said, and all of the tenants - about a dozen - were accounted for and escaped safely. There was no information on the cause of either fire, but the chief said the Benefit Street fire started on the outside porches. Troopers from the State Fire Marshal's Office were at the scene assisting in the investigation. Chief Difronzo said “everything” is being investigated, including rumors of a possible arson and a possible connection between the fires. There was a heavy state police presence in town Sunday night, including members of the Community Action Team. Worcester’s Box 4 canteen truck and the state Division of Fire Services Rehab unit were both in Southbridge providing a cooling area and food and beverages for firefighters. Among the departments responding to the downtown blaze were Southbridge; Webster; Dudley; Charlton; Sturbridge; Spencer; Auburn; East Brookfield; Brookfield; Leicester; Oxford; Sutton; Warren; Worcester; and Muddy Brook and Woodstock, Connecticut; as well as firefighters from Holland. Ambulances from several communities were also at the scene. Chief Difronzo said Main Street should be reopened sometime overnight and a team of investigators will work to determine what started the fires.