Two-alarm Fire Destroys Empty Mass. Building
Source Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
FITCHBURG -- A vacant Nichols Road building that had been used for storage was destroyed by fire late Sunday night.
The two-alarm blaze in the building at 160 Nichols Road was reported about 11:10 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief John Curran said Monday. By the time firefighters arrived, the building was fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters had some difficulty accessing the structure at first because of a locked gate blocking the entrance. Part of the building collapsed on itself as crews worked on it, Curran said. They fought the fire from outside the building.
The property is owned by former City Councilor E. Thomas Donnelly, who said he used the historic building for storage. It was originally built as a squash court, but has not been used for that for many years.
Curran described the damage as "a total loss," and while Donnelly did not immediately have an estimate of the financial damage from the fire, he said he was not able to recover anything from the scene as of Monday.
Fitchburg firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Leominster Fire Department, and station coverage was provided by Westminster, Lunenburg and Leominster. Unitil responded to cut off power to the building.
The fire was knocked down within two hours, Curran said.
Neither Donnelly nor Curran knew Monday what caused the fire. It is under investigation by the Fire Prevention Bureau.
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