The city of Amherst is still recovering from a massive fire that broke out around 8:18 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. The fire totaled the apartment complex and, amid struggles to completely quench it, was eventually demolished. No injuries or fatalities were reported. It started at a construction site on 47 Olympia Drive and spread to 57 Olympia Drive (Olympia Place), an apartment complex that housed at least 230 UMass students who are now displaced.
As the incident was a three-alarm fire, the Amherst Fire Department (AFD) worked with first responders from Hampshire, Worcester and Berkshire counties to contain the flames. The structure eventually became too unstable for firefighters to enter the building. Ultimately, they used approximately 2.5 million gallons of water to put out the fire.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman declared a State of Emergency to limit non-essential water usage by residents While there was sufficient water supply, poor piping and weak water pressure made it difficult to put the fire out, which continued burning into Saturday. Indoor sprinklers in Olympia Place hadn’t made an impact either, since their purpose is to combat smaller indoor fires.
AFD originally stated that limited efficacy of water and the building’s instability led to the apartment complex being demolished to put out the flames entirely. In a statement from Friday, Nov. 14, they amended in a statement released in a detailed FAQ, “While our water supply itself was sufficient, the existing water piping in that location could not meet the high demand needed during this intense fire.”
The State of Emergency was lifted on Nov. 9 at 5pm.
Community response has taken many forms. The FAQ included information on what is known about the cause and spread of the fire, the current status of the site and ways to support impacted students.
The AFD expressed its frustrations with the town of Amherst over chronic understaffing, which is what led the department to have to call in assistance from neighboring communities on Nov. 7. The AFD issued a statement via Facebook on Nov. 12, calling the town out for “consistently gambling with the safety of both its residents and fire personnel.”
The National Fire Protection Association “recommends a minimum of 28 firefighters for the initial response” to a fire of this size, yet the AFD initially responded with just four. The department is calling for 18 additional career firefighters and urging residents to contact the Town Councilors and the Town Manager, whom they say have “refus(ed) to prioritize public safety.”
UMass has mobilized campus resources and rallied its community to support the displaced students, many of whom lost everything, including laptops, school supplies and essential belongings with only weeks left in the semester.
Impacted students have been given priority access to counseling and academic accommodations. The Office of Global Affairs is helping international students replace documents lost in the fire, and everyone in the community is encouraged to contribute to relief efforts.
Donations of “material goods, including clothing, kitchenware and school” can be brought to the New2U thrift store, on the second floor of the Hampden building. Clothing and toiletries are also being accepted at UMass Downtown, located in Amherst at 108 N Pleasant St., and financial donations can be made to UMass’s Student Care and Emergency Response Fund. The effort to bring the UMass community together included a Unity Walk on Thursday, Nov. 20 in support of displaced students who lived at Olympia Place.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. As UMass and the city of Amherst continue in recovery efforts, many hope the incident will prompt long-term improvements to emergency response systems and community safety.
