By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
Photo from Bernardston Fire Chief Peter Shedd
(Bernardston, MA) A structural fire caused $1000 worth of damage to the old Bernardston Farmer Supply building at 43 River Street Wednesday night. Fire Chief Peter Shedd said his team was in training at the department building when motorcyclists pulled up to alert them to the fire. Shedd said the Balloon Construction of the old Farmer Supply building gave some cause for concern if the inside walls caught on fire. Luckily, when the department arrived they discovered that the smoke on the top floor was just that.
“If there was more of a breeze or the fire went unreported for a longer period of time it would have been a different story,” said Shedd.
Shedd said a group of juveniles setting off illegal fireworks is believed to be the cause of the fire, but he does not believe the group intended to set the blaze. The North side of the building suffered the damage.