TURNERS FALLS — No residents were injured or displaced after firefighters extinguished a fire outside 108 Avenue A and evacuated four nearby apartments Tuesday morning, according to the Turners Falls Fire Department.
The Montague Police Department responded to reports of smoke and fire in the area of Third Street and Avenue A, alongside the Turners Falls, Montague Center, Greenfield, Erving, Gill and Bernardston Fire departments, at approximately 6:15 a.m.
The Turners Falls Fire Department, in a Facebook post, confirmed that crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which did not spread to nearby residences.
In working with Massachusetts State Police, as well as the state Department of Fire Services, the Turners Falls Fire Department stated that investigators found the fire was caused by the “careless disposal of smoking materials.”
Turners Falls Fire Chief Todd Brunelle said in an interview Tuesday that the fire is believed to have started when smoking materials came into contact with combustible materials that were stored outside the building near an adjacent storefront.
“Put it out — all the way out,” Brunelle said, referencing literature from the state Department of Fire Services. “Always ensure that all cigarettes are extinguished all the way before you dispose of them.”