GREENFIELD — A fire at 71 Davis St. that displaced nine residents Sunday night was caused by an electrical overload, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said in a joint statement that an electrical service to the building had not been updated, and did not have enough outlets or electrical service for modern apartments.
In conjunction with that, the residents were using extension cords and recently installed an air conditioner that was tripping the breaker in the second floor apartment, according to the authorities.
The air conditioning unit was not plugged into an extension cord, but the addition of the appliance overwhelmed the apartment’s circuit breaker, said State Fire Marshal spokeswoman Jennifer Mieth.
Both Ostroskey and Strahan cautioned against using an electrical device that is overloading a circuit. Strahan said if a fuse or breaker continues to trip, stop using the appliance because the circuit is overloaded.
“An air conditioner is a heavy duty appliance that draws a lot of electricity,” Ostroskey wrote in the statement. “It’s important to plug it directly into the wall and to make sure the circuit can support the appliance.”
The authorities said smoke alarms went off and first-floor residents were able to get out of the house. Second-floor residents were not at home at the time.
The fire started on the second-floor ceiling and moved to the attic. A dog and a cat were successfully rescued from the house by firefighters.
The occupants of the house were still displaced as of Monday afternoon, Strahan said. The Red Cross was contacted on Sunday to help those residents.
Reach Miranda Davis at 413-772-0261, ext. 280 or mdavis@recorder.com.