GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — Two fires are actively burning in the area this afternoon. One is located off Munson Street in Greenfield and another is burning near the railroad tracks in Deerfield. Interstate 91 was closed temporarily, severely impacting traffic.
More information to follow as it becomes available.
UPDATE: 4:33 p.m….Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said that a fourth alarm was struck, with over 100 firefighting personnel on the scene battling the flames. Strahan said crews arrived from as far away as Vermont and New Hampshire to assist.
Interstate 91 in Deerfield and Greenfield was shut down for a short time as the fire crossed the highway and burned a portion of the median. The highway closure resulted in a major traffic jam along the interstate and the Mohawk Trail in Greenfield. The highway has since been re-opened, although traffic impacts remain at this hour.
Strahan noted that several structures in the area were threatened, but did not catch fire, including Wisdom Way Storage and the Buckley-Greenfield Health Care Center on Laurel Street.
Strahan said the warm, dry, and windy conditions were a perfect recipe for the spread of the fire, but that the fires have been contained at this point. Strahan said he was hopeful forecast rain would help with putting out the fire.