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24—The Berkshire Eagle, Monday, Feb. 7, 1977aystheandcu-/ is ereighnthnotex-mesrsateeyim1It1hameMitrinato\bu]chSCMmiwineyewiprfrlt;th1yeceneRobert M. McDonoughFRATERNITY FIRE in North Adams Friday night rages out of control around midnight. Careless smoking is being blamed for the fire, which left 19 North Adams State College students temporarily without housing,■and which kept ail North Adams firefighters busy through most of Friday night. Five people were injured in the blaze, none seriously.$9shbudaprHiscfo:mCareless smoking said causeof North Adams fraternity firetO’th4.heTcKifrlt;By Robert M. McDonoughNORTH ADAMS — Careless smoking has been listed as the cause of a two-alarm fire Friday night that injured five persons and wrecked the Beta Chi Gamma fraternity house at 308 Church Street on the North Adams State College campus'. Fire officials believe the blazestarted in an upstairs rear bedroom while 150 students were partying downstairs.The 19 students who lived at the 3!/2-story, wood-frame house have found temporary shelter either on campus or in the city, according to Raymond Sullivan, dean of students.Three students were overcome by smoke trying to fight the blaze. They are Michael Amato and Thomas J. Calter, who lived at the house and Richard Tureolte of 83 East Quincy St. They were treated and released at North Adams Regional Hospital.Two firemen hurtfort to extinguish the fire before calling the fire department. Several students reported that they tried to put out the fire by hand, but that the fire was too faralong to control.tofrlt;12coRaced through wallsTwo North Adams firemen were also injured. Christopher Gillooley of 94 Beaver St. was treated for a hip injury at the hospital after he fell down a flight of stairs inside the burning house. Another firefighter, Thomas R. Hawke, filled out a report for a groin injury but he did not require hospitalization.Firemen, responding to the first alarm at 18:31, said they were hindered by the house’s location, atop a 30*foot snow-covered hill, and by electrical wires that prevented raising aerial ladders.Firemen also reported they were hampered by studentstrying to return to the building.Three students were rescued over ladders from a second-floor window, and firemen assisted other students out the front door of the house, which is owned by the fraternity.Firemen reported that the blaze apparently gained head-wav while students made an efFire department captain John F. Ghidotti said the fire barely damaged the second-floor room where it began, but that the fire raced through wooden partitionsto the third floor, where itspread out and eventually broke through the roof.At about 11 p.m. flames roared nearly 100 feet into the air and could be seen for miles. A second alarm was turned in by firemen at 10:58.The fire wasn’t brought under control for more than two hours, and a fire watch was maintained at the -scenethroughout the weekend.Local firemen and police are continuing their investigation ofthe blaze.' The college’s radio station is sponsoring a drive for clothing for the 19 residents of the building, most of whom lost all of their belongings in the fire.Firemen said the second and third floors of the house were destroyed, and that the first floor sustained heavy smoke and water damageylt;althstlaElthB1thofscwmbetrinmli11
Newspaper Details
The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Mon, Feb 07, 1977
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Boston P.
NA, USA 02 Feb 2023
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