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Courtesy of iBerkshires
By Jack Guerino
Tuesday, September 07, 2021

ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters on Monday night were able to quickly douse a stove fire in a Summer Street apartment, preventing the blaze from spreading through the building.
 
"There was a fire in the kitchen caused by storage on top of the stove," Fire Chief John Pansecchi said on Tuesday. "It is possible that the stove got turned on accidentally."
 
The call came in around 9:30 p.m. Pansecchi said the early response was important because the multifamily apartment building is located in a dense neighborhood.
 
"In a building like that probably in  5-10 minutes, it will spread into the structure. This is an old structure so it is good we could respond quickly," he said. "Buildings in this area are very close together." 
 
He said the occupant was outside of the building when the Fire Department arrived
 
Pansecchi said extra manpower was called in because of the potential spread, however, upon arrival, firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quite quickly. 
 
"The occupant put a little water on it and knocked it down," he said. "We were able to go in there with the water cannon and knock it out."
 
Pansecchi warned of the dangers of leaving anything on the stovetop.
 
"I really want to get out, do not store stuff on top of your stove," he said. "It is dangerous, and we see it a lot.
 
He added that it is also important to maintain fire alarms.

Courtesy of iBerkshires
By Jack Guerino
04:41PM / Saturday, July 31, 2021

ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Fire Department snuffed out a stove fire on Saturday morning that damaged Housing Authority units on 4 Columbia St.   
 
Firefighters responded for a reported fire alarm activation. On arrival, Chief John Pansecchi was advised there was a fire on the stove.  
 
The first arriving assistant chiefs stretched a 1 3/4 line into the apartment and extinguished the blaze.
 
The fire had extended up the wall into the vent fan over the stove and to the cabinets, where it started to burn. The vent fan and a cabinet were removed and the wall behind the stove was opened up to check for extension.
 
There were no injuries but there was fire, water, and smoke damage in the apartment. The occupant will be staying with family.
 
Two other apartments had minor smoke damage. These occupants will be able to stay in their units.  
 
In addition to firefighters, police, Adams Ambulance and the code compliance officer responded to the scene. The building inspector was also notified.

Courtesy of the Berkshire Eagle
By Dick Lindsay
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ADAMS — A fire has temporarily closed a popular downtown restaurant in Adams.

The Pizza House will need to undergo renovations following what Adams fire officials determined was an electrical fire at the eatery late Sunday morning.

Around 11:30 a.m., the Adams Fire Department was called to 26 Hoosac St. for a report of light smoke in the two-story building. When firefighters arrived, the smoke confined to the restaurant was starting to get heavier. About 15 minutes later they found the source of the fire coming from inside the wall at the main entrance, according to Assistant Fire Chief Tim Ziemba

"We had to open the wall and ceiling to get at [the fire.] We had it out within minutes of finding it," he said.

The Cheshire Fire Department was called to the scene to assist Adams firefighters.

Ziemba said no one was hurt and the person living in a second-floor apartment would likely be able to stay in the rental unit.

While we are not done yet, the committee working on the rooms led by Forman Mallett, Andy Gigliotti, Dave Lennon, Josh Sworzen and Dana Labee would like to take a moment to give everyone an update. As we finish up refreshing on our meeting room after being inturpted by the pandemic of 2020, it is interesting to note the one item in the room that didn't get removed during construction...the memorial placque, became a fixture of the room back in 1964. Many members can find a grandparent, parent, uncle, brother or other relative amoungst the names of deceased firefighters going all the way back to the charter members. As shown in this Transcript photo, 115 names were on the placque when it went up. Today, the original placque has additional placques on either side as room for names quickly ran out. So while we enjoy the new lighting, flooring, decor and colors that have changed, take a moment to reflect on our tradition and those who added their touches so many years ago. Luckily in the firehouse, some things remain the same. Pictures of the work done by the committee on the room are shown below in the included slideshow.