Springfield fire at Union and Maple streets damages building, displaces 6

By Patrick Johnson, Republican staff

February 23, 2010, 5:01PM

SPRINGFIELD – A fire just before 4 p.m. Tuesday at an apartment building at 238-240 Union St. caused an estimated $120,000 damage and displaced 6 people, said Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger.

Union Street was blocked off between Maple and School streets as fire trucks blocked the road, creating some traffic congestion.

No one was injured in the fire, Leger said.

The Fire Department was notified just before 4 p.m., and the first firefighters on scene spotted smoke coming out the roof, Leger said.

The fire started in a vacant apartment and spread in to the walls and the space between the ceiling and roof. Firefighters had to tear down the ceiling and rip away portions of the roof to make sure they extinguished the all the flames, he said.

Fire damage was confined to the top floor but lower floors sustained water damage. The six residents from the first and second floors had to seek alternative shelter when Western Massachusetts Electric Co. was called in to shut down the natural gas lines as a precaution. Leger said 2 residents opted to stay with family, and four others sought assistance from the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Leger said

The apartment building is just around the corner from the Milton Bradley School in the Six Corners neighborhood.