16 people displaced following Springfield fire

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Sixteen Springfield residents are now in the care of the Red Cross due to the fire damage to a house on Union Street.

Fire crews were called to the scene around 10:45 p.m. Sunday where they found fire coming from a back porch on the third floor. A second alarm was then called for mutual aid.

Springfield Fire Captain Drew Piemonte tells us that they were in need of extra assistance, especially with the weather conditions restricting fire trucks from traveling through the city, saying, “We needed more manpower with the weather conditions and went to snow and all the snowbanks. You know, it’s pretty challenging to get the lines up into the third floor where we needed to get.”

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by the careless disposal of cigarettes. Captain Piemonte is asking for smokers to be mindful of how they get rid of those finished cigarettes, to avoid another fire like this one.

No injuries were reported from this incident; however, Piemonte explained that the Red Cross is working on multiple incidents at this time, and their staff is being stretched thin.

We have reached out to the red cross for more details, but we have not yet heard back.