PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- City firefighters and other public safety workers had just gathered for a Sept. 11 memorial Mass on Tuesday morning when they were called to put out a fire on Lincoln Street.
The 9 a.m. Mass on Tuesday was under way at St. Charles Church when the call came in shortly afterward.
Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Kilmer, dressed in a formal firefighter attire, put on his emergency response jacket and joined a team of Pittsfield firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews at Lincoln Street.
The fire turned out to be a minimal one at the two-floor apartment house at 77 and 79 Lincoln St., where smoke had been reported coming from a second-floor windor.
It was ruled accidental, Kilmer said. The exact cause was still being investigated as of 9:27 a.m., but it appears the sparks began in a vacant apartment undergoing renovations.
Firefighters quickly put out the flames, resulting in minor smoke damage to the unit. No one was injured.
Traffic was temporarily detoured around the intersection of Lincoln and Second streets, as emergency responders secured and cleared the scene.
"Mass just started, but duty calls. That's why we're here," Kilmer said.
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