Editor’s Note: This article has been revised to include a link to a GoFundMe page for one of the families and to include additional information from Chief Charlie Burger.
Great Barrington — Great Barrington firefighters battled a blaze early this morning at a local restaurant that threatened two upstairs tenants who later managed to escape unharmed.
Firefighters were awoken at 3:17 a.m. with a dispatch that Fire Chief Charlie Burger said “nobody ever wants to hear — a structure fire with two people trapped on the second floor at 36 State Road.” That location is directly across the street from the fire station.
Burger and his department, along with the Great Barrington Police Department, were on the scene within minutes. They found that the second-floor residents of the Pizza House had successfully escaped “with fire rolling out the back southwest side of the building,” Burger said in a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page.
Firefighters observed heavy fire venting from the first floor kitchen windows and smoke coming from the remainder of the building. Tenants were able to escape the building prior to firefighters’ reaching the scene, but there was still some uncertainty about whether or not a second apartment was occupied at the time the fire started, Burger said.
Firefighters then mounted what Burger called “an aggressive interior attack,” resulting in a “quick takedown” of the blaze. The fire was contained to the kitchen and storage area of Pizza House and extended to a second-floor apartment.
Burger said firefighters conducted “an efficient and thorough search of the second floor while battling extreme heat and zero visibility inside the building.” Their search confirmed that there were no tenants left inside, and crews were able to quickly knock down the flames.
Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters remained on scene to extinguish hot spots. The firefighting effort was complicated by the fact that the building had been renovated and added onto multiple times during its lifespan, creating hidden areas that could potentially allow a fire to extend more easily. Fire damage was limited to the first floor kitchen and a second floor bathroom, but there was smoke damage throughout the entire building.
The Great Barrington Fire Department was assisted on scene by Great Barrington Police, the Sheffield Fire Department and Southern Berkshire Ambulance.
Residents in the upstairs apartments suffered from smoke inhalation that is not believed to be serious. Burger said some later went to the hospital on their own to seek medical treatment. Displaced tenants were able to make alternative arrangements for shelter.
The fire was investigated by the Great Barrington Fire Department and State Fire Marshal’s Office, and is believed to have been caused by an electrical failure.
Traffic was closed on State Road from East Street to Hillside Avenue and rerouted through Cottage and Hillside, witnesses said. The business and the building is owned by the Giannaris family.
“Our crews did an excellent job limiting the damage despite the challenges posed by this particular structure, which has been a fixture in town for decades,” Burger said later in a statement. “I’m extremely grateful that a tragedy was avoided this morning, and I’m hopeful that Pizza House will be able to rebuild and the residents will be able to return home soon.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of Daniel Sanchez. The family rented an apartment over the Pizza House and was displaced by the fire. Click here to donate.
