On May 25th, 2006 at 13:02 hrs Springfield Firefighters received an alarm for a house fire at 18 Washburn Street.
Fire crews arrived on scene three minutes later to find the second and third floors of a 2.5 story wood frame home fully involved in heavy fire.
Heat from the flames melted the vinyl siding and roofing materials of the exposure to the north.
The apartments located at 202 Plainfield Street were evacuated by police as a precaution just prior to the arrival of fire crews.
The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad determined the structure was unoccupied at the time of the fire. They also determined that thieves using torches to remove copper piping started the fire. The thieves were seen by witnesses leaving the building with armfuls of copper piping just prior to the discovery of the fire.
There were no injuries reported for the fire that caused an estimated $85,000.00 in damage to the two structures.
