CHARLEMONT — The Friday fire that destroyed a trailer owned by Giovanni’s Red Rose Motel was accidental and electrical in nature, according to a spokeswoman for the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Jennifer Mieth said it appears a furnace inside the structure at 1701 Route 2 was plugged into an extension cord, a situation she described as a “real no-no.”
To make matters worse, it seems some sort of material had been placed on top of the cord and absorbed heat from it.
“Sadly, I believe the home is a total loss. But I have two pieces of good news,” Mieth said, mentioning no one was injured in the blaze and the trailer’s occupants were later reunited with their cat, which was also unharmed.
The trailer is owned by the Pizzi family, who also own Giovanni’s Red Rose Motel.
Aldo Pizzi told The Recorder his family rented the trailer to two people.
The blaze, which was called in at 6:42 p.m., required at least eight fire departments at the scene.
Mieth said the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services offers a program called “Keep Warm, Keep Safe,” which aims to educate people on ways to prevent heating fires.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 257. On Twitter, follow @DomenicPoli