Mill Mall saved by quick response to fire
The Killington Fire Department’s ladder truck at the scene of the Bridgewater Mill Mall fire on Friday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
A fire at the Bridgewater Mill Mall was quickly brought under control on Friday evening, with multiple area fire departments responding. There were no injuries, and the fire’s cause is still to be determined.
In an interview at the scene, Josh Maxham, second assistant chief for the Bridgewater Fire Department, said that when they arrived at about 5:45 p.m., there was heavy smoke coming out of the third floor on the Route 4 side of the building. They were eventually able to gain entry to the building, locate the fire, and Maxham said it took about 15 minutes to extinguish it.
“The sprinklers helped keep the fire in check,” Maxham added.
It so happens that a brand new sprinkler and alarm system was very recently installed, as Leo Werner, who owns 75 percent of the building, noted on Friday evening at the scene. “We had just completed that work,” he said. “It probably saved the mill.”
Maxham said there was minimal damage in the building, though there was smoke and water damage throughout. Most of the damage is in the third floor of the ShackletonThomas part of the building, and no one was there when the fire started. Maxham said they sent a lot of people in to tarp the furniture and the pottery owned by ShackletonThomas. The business’s owners, Charlie Shackleton and Miranda Thomas, expressed their gratitude for the firefighters.
“They were very resourceful,” Shackleton said. “Most of the furniture is fine.”
“We’re blessed that nobody was hurt,” Thomas said. “It’s really the smoke and water damage that we’re concerned about.”
Among the fire departments responding were Woodstock, South Woodstock, Pomfret-Teago, Barnard, Killington, Hartford and Plymouth. Other departments from the region assisted with coverage at local fire stations.
— Gareth Henderson
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