Fire shuts Northampton YMCA

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - The state fire marshal and Northampton Fire Department are investigating a two-alarm fire that caused heavy damage to the Hampshire Regional YMCA early Monday morning.

The Prospect Street blaze broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on the building's second floor and caused an estimated $350,000 to $500,000 in damages, according to the Fire Department. No one was injured. Although the fire was confined to the women's locker room, officials reported that other parts of the building had suffered minor smoke and water damage.

Firefighters found heavy smoke pouring from the center of the building when they arrived as dispatchers took multiple 911 calls. Cleaning crews, who had been working inside the building, alerted firefighters to the blaze, which took about 45 minutes to control, said Deputy Fire Chief William Hurley.

"The second floor sustained fire, water and smoke damage," Hurley said. "The heat was unbearable because it was a windowless area."

Hurley said firefighters had to cut holes in the roof to ventilate the building at 286 Prospect St. Firefighters from Easthampton, Hatfield, Amherst, Williamsburg and Greenfield responded to the fire. The local American Red Cross chapter, utility crews and Northampton Police Department also were on scene providing assistance, including crowd control.

YMCA CEO David Marks said a fire marshal's report placed the blame for the fire on a malfunction in the electrical control system outside the women's sauna.

At a meeting Monday afternoon, Marks met with YMCA officials, a variety of contractors and insurance inspectors and worked to hash out a timeline for repairing the building.

"I just wanted to get everybody in the same space," Marks said. "The meeting went very well, because this is the Y - people really care about it and the sense of cooperation we had was phenomenal."

Although he said those at the meeting didn't arrive at a specific date for completing repairs, Marks said they worked toward finding the right place to start.

"Getting inspectors and electricians in there to get the building up and running and getting all the water out and cleaning up are among the first things that have to happen," Marks said. "Then, in the next day or two, we need to get a portable office set up that I can work out of."

Repairing all of the damage caused by the fire, Marks said, will likely take about three weeks and until the building is repaired, residents who are members can visit the YMCAs in Greenfield, Westfield, Holyoke, Springfield and Wilbraham free of charge.

While officials work to get a telephone at a portable command center up and running, Marks said residents with questions should check the organization's Web site, HRYMCA.com, which he said he will be updated twice daily with details about repairs.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com