By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
A seven-alarm fire tore through a Juniper Road condominium complex Monday afternoon, displacing 60-80 residents and prompting officials to open an emergency shelter and reunification center at North Attleborough Middle School.
The fire was reported around 2:05 p.m. on May 11 after officials received a call about fire in an air conditioning unit, North Attleborough Fire Chief Chris Coleman said. The building at 30 Juniper Road sustained extensive structural damage, including a roof collapse, which led to a third alarm being struck.
“This is one of the biggest fires I’ve seen in the 30 years I’ve worked here,” Coleman said at the scene.
Officials said everyone inside the building had been accounted for, and firefighters continued secondary sweeps. No injuries were reported, though Town Manager Michael Borg later said that 10 cats are still missing and animal control is trying to locate them.
A fourth alarm was struck, leading to defensive operations from the outside of the building to prevent the fire from spreading to the apartment building next door at 16 Juniper Road.
Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading, though residents in both buildings were displaced after power to the complex was shut off, according to town officials. The two buildings contain a combined 54 apartment units. Residents in the unaffected building were later allowed to return home once power was restored.
The fire quickly escalated to seven alarms at around 3:10 p.m., as crews battled intense flames while also dealing with water supply and pressure issues at the scene.
Coleman said firefighters had to pull water from hydrants on neighboring streets to maintain operations. At the same time, both of the town’s ambulances were tied up on unrelated calls, requiring additional mutual aid.
It was later reported that on-scene assistance was provided by the Foxboro, Norton, Mansfield, Wrentham, Attleboro, Seekonk, Rehoboth, Norwood, Walpole, Easton, Sharon, Plainville, Cumberland, Rhode Island, Smithfield, Rhode Island, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Lincoln, Rhode Island fire departments.
The Providence Canteen, Department of Fire Services State Rehab Unit and Mansfield Emergency Management Agency also responded to the scene to provide relief to responding crews. Swansea, Raynham, Berkley and Taunton fire departments provided station coverage alongside Brewster EMS.
‘I can’t believe how fast it spread’
Residents described chaotic moments as neighbors rushed door-to-door warning people before alarms sounded. A resident in the complex named Laurie, who did not give a last name, said she had been working from home when her downstairs neighbor, Janice, spotted smoke and flames near an air conditioning unit and began knocking on doors.
“Thank God,” Laurie said. “She beat the fire alarms. She got everybody out.”
Laurie said she fled the building so quickly that she left without her shoes on.
“I can’t believe how fast it spread. I’m in complete shock,” she said.
Janice, who also did not give a last name, said she happened to be home sick when she noticed smoke outside.
“I opened up the door to the balcony and saw fire coming out of an air conditioner,” Janice said.
She said she ran upstairs to alert the resident in the apartment where the flames appeared to be coming from before going door-to-door warning neighbors.
“Once I opened up the door, then the smoke alarms started going off,” she said. “I was banging on doors so hard I thought I was going to knock them down.”
Officials said displaced residents from both buildings were directed to the middle school, where an emergency shelter and reunification center was being established in coordination with the Salvation Army and American Red Cross.
A community steps up
In response to the many people impacted, the community has offered its help. KC’s Classic Burger Bar & The Sundae Social has offered to be a drop-off location for clothing and household essentials for those affected. The restaurant is located at 625 E Washington St.
“We will share more details and a list of specific needs as information becomes available,” a post by the restaurant reads, “but in the meantime, if you are looking for a way to help, please consider gathering gently-used or new items to donate. North Attleborough always shows up for one another in difficult times, and we know this will be no different.”
In addition, North Attleborough Porchfest has also offered to be a drop-off location during its event this Saturday, at all performers’ locations.
Coleman said crews were still working Monday evening to extinguish secondary fires continuing to flare up within the structure.
“It’s a building with a wooden truss attic,” Coleman said. “Once the fire got up into the attic, there were no fire stops in place, so it spread from one side of the attic to the other.”
Coleman cautioned that investigators have not yet confirmed where the fire started. The fire is under investigation by the North Attleborough Fire Department and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
“We can’t confirm the fire actually started in the AC unit,” he said. “It’s going to take a couple of days to determine the actual cause of the fire.”