Crews were dispatched to 117-119 Main St. for a fire alarm shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Monday, the release said. When first responders arrived, they reported nothing showing from the front of the four-story building, but Brattleboro Fire Capt. Kurt Schmidt advised that there was a sprinkler flow in the building and smoke on the third floor, according to the release. Schmidt requested the incident be upgraded to a first alarm.
At 2:45 p.m., first responders discovered the fire in an apartment on the fourth floor. The sprinkler system kept the fire to that apartment, the release said. Crews performed a primary search of that apartment and the rest of the building and deemed the fire under control shortly after. However, the sprinkler controls to shut the system down were behind a locked door in the basement, according to the release.
There were no reported injuries in the incident, the release said, but the apartments at 117 Main St. and Beadniks, an arts and crafts store specializing in beads and gemstones, had significant water damage. The apartments at 119 Main St. and another business, Trillium Home and Garden, were evacuated. Due to the extent of the water damage, the power had to be turned off for both sides of the building.
“Electricians will be on scene today to determine if the power can be restored to 119 Main St. to allow for the people to reoccupy that side as well as for Trillium to reopen,” the release said. “However, Beadniks and the apartments at 117 Main Street will be unable to reoccupy for a considerable time.”
Thirteen people were displaced as a result of the water damage. The Red Cross was notified and arranged housing for three of them, and others were able to make alternative arrangements. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
