ORANGE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Crews in Orange are responding to a five alarm fire at the former cereal factory on West River Street.
This comes just a couple months after a portion of the road was closed off from South Main Street to Pleasant Street to protect vehicles and pedestrians from structural concerns in the factory building.
According to Chief James Young of the Orange Fire Department, crews received the call around 11:45 a.m. Saturday and arrived to find heavy smoke and flames.
The fire was originally three alarms, but has since escalated to ring the sixth, and potentially seventh, alarm.
The flames reportedly spread from the abandoned factory to multiple other vacant structures.
Officials said that the crews have contained the fire’s spread, but continue to engage in active suppression.
Crews from 20 neighboring regional department, such as Turner’s Falls and Northfield, are assisting. Massachusetts’s Fire Mobilization Plan was activated and two statewide task forces came to assist.
The Orange Fire Department said that two minor injuries were reported and were treated on scene. Since the building was not occupied, there were no displacements.
Crews have asked that people avoid the area as they work to contain the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Orange Fire Department, Orange Police Department, and the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit that is assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services also deployed a Rehab Unit to support crews on scene, an Incident Support Unit to assist commanders, a Drone Unit for aerial imagery, and a Hazmat Unit to conduct air monitoring for health hazards.
Western Mass News will continue to provide updates on air and online as they enter our newsroom.
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