Amherst Fire Displaces 230 People and Spreads to Multiple Buildings
A massive fire broke out on Olympia Drive in Amherst on Friday night, destroying a five-story apartment complex home to about 230 residents. The fire also consumed a neighboring construction site where it began around 8 p.m.
Firefighters from across the region fought the blaze, which was initially reported at 8:19 p.m., throughout Friday night and most of Saturday. Amherst Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren declared the fire under control at approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday.
“Fire crews were not able to enter the unstable building and were expected to continue to extinguish the fire from the exterior while demolition crews tore down the structure.”
This demolition work was anticipated to be finished by Sunday morning. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is not considered suspicious.
On Saturday afternoon, the town declared a state of emergency and urged residents to refrain from nonessential water use to conserve water for firefighting efforts. Officials noted that over 1 million gallons of water had already been used by 6 p.m.
Key Facts
- Fire started shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday at a construction site on Olympia Drive.
- Destroyed a five-story apartment complex housing roughly 230 people.
- Fire under control by 7 p.m. Saturday after nearly 24 hours of firefighting.
- Building deemed unstable, requiring exterior firefighting and demolition.
- No injuries reported.
- State of emergency declared and water use restrictions imposed.
Summary: A major fire in Amherst displaced about 230 residents and led to a state of emergency as crews battled the blaze for nearly a day, using over a million gallons of water.