Amherst Fire Department Responds to Fire on Pondview Drive
Amherst Fire Department responded to a fire on Pondview Drive on February 22, 2025. Photo: amherstma.gov
Source: amherstma.gov
Amherst Fire Department responded to a call via 911 on Saturday February 22 at 3:56 a.m., reporting smoke and fire from a neighbor’s house at #8 Pondview Drive in South Amherst. Initially the five on-duty full-time firefighters along with officers from Amherst Police Department, arrived on scene and confirmed that the house, a one-story single-family residence, was on fire. They reported heavy fire in the basement extending though the first floor and into the attic. In addition to a box alarm and recall for all Amherst Firefighters, a second alarm was sounded for mutual aid.
First arriving crews attempted to enter the house to search for occupants but discovered the floor had burned through from the basement below and so were forced to evacuate and continue to fight the fire from the exterior. Initially it was unknown if there was anyone home at the time of the fire, but neighbors were able to contact the owners by cell phone and confirm they were out of town visiting friends. Crews worked for the next two hours to extinguish the blaze. The initial fire attack was hampered by the fact that the first fire hydrant that crews tried to use was covered in a snowbank so they had to shovel it out, then found it was frozen shut, so another hydrant had to be used, which was also frozen shut, but crews were able to force it open.
The building appears to be a total loss. The Amherst building inspector was on scene, and power and water were shut off to the building by Eversource and the Amherst Water Department. A family of three was displaced by the fire, and is being assisted by the American Red Cross to find temporary housing.
Amherst Firefighters were assisted on scene by Belchertown Fire, Hadley Fire, Northampton Fire, and Granby ambulance, and the Pelham Fire Department provided station coverage at the Central Fire Station. A firefighter rehab unit was also on scene staffed by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. An unrelated EMS call in town during the fire was handled by an ambulance from South County Ambulance service.
There were no injuries. A domestic cat is believed to have perished in the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Amherst Fire and Police Departments, and the State fire Marshall’s office, but is not suspicious in nature.
Why was there a light response from amherst fire ? There were more trucks from surrounding towns Why were those hydrants covered and frozen The water department used the shovel and thaw Them out Why were the Amherst police Logging around and setting up road closure signs Why were the roads almost impassable because of the potholes Why did the town manager not answer his phone At four thirty in the morning
The town of amherst can’t seem to provide basic services . That was just a small ranch house What happens next time?We have an incompetent town manager.
We get what we accept. We have a town manager who focuses on vanity projects over basic needs. 5 on duty firefighters for a population of 40k? C’mon where’s the funding for the fire service? But what can you expect from a town manager who believes female firefighters are not physically capable for the job? He’s said he doesn’t believe they’re strong enough. In the last 3 years this town has lost 13 director/assistant director roles. 62% of which were women. Where’s the public outcry on that?
I offer my sincere sympathy for those who tragically lost their home on Pondview Drive and give thanks for the men and women who worked to save it and mitigate any threat to those nearby. I can only imagine the concern, if not fear, that they felt when realizing they could not go inside of the structure to determine if anyone was trapped.
I will not attempt to address the questions in the comments posted above, but I do know that, despite road conditions (and yes, they are very bad), DPW workers were out constantly clearing them, in many cases during, before, or after their regular work hours.
Regardless of how many hydrants those same workers managed to clear during snow and ice onslaughts, residents always have the option we have long chosen, to personally clear the hydrant near our house. After all, would any resident blame the USPS if a mail carrier couldn’t access their post box because it was impacted with snow and ice?
Perhaps it is time to add to the Town By-Law, Article IV (page 62), that currently requires property owners to display street numbers and to keep clear any sidewalk that abuts their property. Why should clearing the hydrant close to one’s property also not be required? We see that in the same category of safety measures for the common good.
Luckily the hydrant on our street is uncovered but how do we know if it’s frozen? We have had unprecedented low temperatures for an unusually long time…but would uncovered hydrants also be frozen in times like these? Is using the hydrant the only test to find out the status? Would be good to know.
Dana, we do not “accept” the performance of the town manager but, apparently, a majority of town council members do. Perhaps they should be voted out the next go ‘round.
Kathleen, the actual shut off to these hydrants are around 6’ under ground. The reason some freeze could be a number of things but generally age, where after use from flushing for example, water will seep back in to a higher level allowing it to freeze. There was always a few hydrants out of the 2 to 3,000 Amherst has that require servicing. In the mean time we would go out and “Bob” them, (weight on a string) to see if that occurred and if so, pump them out and years ago we would treat them so they wouldn’t freeze. I’m sure someone would come out and check yours if you requested it. I would have.
“ residents always have the option we have long chosen, to personally clear the hydrant near our house.”
Rita, somebody has to do it. I’m not seeing the LLC rentals, where the landlords live in other locations caring much about hydrants, mail boxes or catch basins. Everyone around us this year, the kids are shoveling the driveways and some just drive over the snow.
Anybody who would like to find out maintenance records for the fire plugs – they are available at the DPW. The superintendent has al of those records.
While this important conversation is taking place and deserves solutions, a family of 3, including a 5th grader, is struggling mightily and something we CAN do. If you are able to help, please consider giving gift cards for their many immediate needs by sending directly to sheetalghadse@gmail.com. Many many thanks in supporting our community members at their greatest time of need.
Thank you, Adrienne, for that info.
There is now a gofundme set up to take donations for this family:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/zb4662-help-sheetal-and-shivaji-rebuild-after-fire/