This list will be continuously updated: Last updated November 21, 3:30 p.m.
How to help
As of Thursday, Nov. 21, citing the community’s immense support, Lt. Brian Mead, public information officer for the Great Barrington Fire Department said that donations from the public are suspended, urging citizens to instead contribute their purchased goods to local food pantries in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Closures
Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announced on social media that their Great Barrington office, located at 325 Main Street, will be closed “while our community’s firefighters and forest wardens combat the Butternut wildfire. The branch’s ATM will continue to be accessible.”
Ski Butternut announced on its Facebook page that its Butternut Ski and Board Shop will be closed until Monday, November 25, due to the Butternut Fire. The company posted the following message:
Please check the website for re-opening details prior to planning your visit. Everyone is safe and there has been no damage to the property, but we are asking that only essential personnel visit the ski area right now. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back on site soon however, we need to keep the roads and parking lot clear for Firefighters and Operations Staff at this time. Thank you for understanding and thank you for all the support. We appreciate it!
On Thursday, November 21, Berkshire Hills Regional School District announced that it would cancel all outdoor school activities. Superintendent of Schools Peter Dillon issued the following statement:
We wanted to reach out to acknowledge that the wildfire situation is stressful for everyone, partly because there are so many unknowns.
While BHRSD schools are open today, we are monitoring students and staff with medical conditions that may be adversely impacted, and we are adjusting air intakes to bring in less outside air. We are between sports seasons, so there are no outdoor practices scheduled this week or next, which is fortunate.
Students will not be doing outdoor activities until the air quality improves. Our afterschool CLEO program is running as usual, with all-indoor programming. Please feel free to reach out to school nurses, principals, or to me if you have any individual concerns. We will send out further notices if and when there is anything new to report.
We appreciate all that firefighters and emergency personnel are doing to protect and support our community.
Help offered
Berkshire Equestrian Center in Richmond has 10 stalls available for anyone needing to evacuate. Proof of negative coggins and vaccination records required. For more information call (413) 698-3200.
Pinney Stables Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal rescue and sanctuary based in Colebrook, Conn., has offered open stalls, a large fenced field, and an open paddock to anyone with horses or livestock needing refuge from the smoke or smolders of Great Barrington’s wildfire. For more information, call (860) 605-7966.
Equine Clinic at OakenCroft, located in Glenmont, N.Y., is offering temporary stabling of horses. For more information call (518) 767-2906
Fundraisers
“I am making this offer as my way to say ‘thank you’ for the job provided by these and other local fire departments,” Kubis said to The Berkshire Edge in an email response. “If with my photographic skills I can create a positive image from this destructive fire, then so be it. Thanks to all those that are fighting the Butternut Fire and to those who will donate via this offer to the local fire departments.”
To add to this list, email sizikson@theberkshireedge.com.
