COLRAIN — No injuries were reported following a two-alarm house fire at 315 West Leyden Road on Sunday that drew a response from more than 10 area departments.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined the fire began on the right side of the home’s second floor, but is still working to identify the cause, according to office spokesperson Jake Wark.
Colrain Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni said the department received a call reporting the fire at 3:34 p.m. on Sunday. The Colrain Police Department arrived first and notified fire crews that flames had mostly engulfed the structure. The residents were not inside the building at the time of the blaze.
“It was mostly involved when we got there, but it went down pretty quick,” Anzuoni said. “There were no injuries; no one was home at the time.”
The Colrain Fire Department posted a message of thanks on Facebook to all the assisting agencies for their efforts Sunday afternoon.
“Engine 2 arrived at [3:47 p.m.] with heavy fire through the roof and on the second floor,” the department shared on Facebook. “Crews initially deployed exterior lines to knock down heavy fire before additional apparatus and equipment arrived and an interior attack was initiated.”
Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Heath, Shelburne Falls, Shelburne, Buckland, Greenfield, Leyden, Bernardston, Charlemont and Erving, as well as from Halifax, Vermont, and Whitingham, Vermont. Support was provided by Colrain Police Department, Colrain Volunteer Ambulance Association, Massachusetts State Police, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Shelburne Control Dispatch Center.
The blaze was brought under control at 5:11 p.m. Crews remained on scene to monitor hot spots and begin searching for potential hidden fires until 10 p.m.
Anzuoni noted he remained at the station throughout the response because, until state legislators pass a special act allowing him to participate in fire suppression duties despite being over the age of 65, he is not allowed to assist. While he was unable to go to the fire, he kept busy working on malfunctioning equipment, and said the crews were well-trained and able to bring the fire under control.
“The crew did a good job,” he said. “You get as many people on it as quick as you can. They were doing what they were trained to do.”
He added that the cold weather made fighting the fire more difficult, but crews were able to establish a water line and extinguish it.
“Cold weather does not help with fires. The water freezes and you have to work harder,” Anzuoni said. “There were no injuries and that’s the most important thing.”
He added that the structure sustained significant damage, but he was not sure if the owner’s insurance would declare it a total loss.
