Firefighters ventilate the roof.

Karizme keeps her bunny warm.

A hamster is taken from the apartment apparently unharmed.

A second hamster cage was removed; the animals were placed in a van to keep warm.

The fire damage can be seen on the back wall of the building.

<

>

A fire in a back unit of a Loftus Street apartment building forces five families from their homes.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Five families were forced from their homes on Sunday afternoon after the rearmost unit in a River Street apartment building caught fire.

Crystal Fitzpatrick, who had lived in the back unit with her three daughters since March, said she was at the market when her teenage daughter, Karizme, called to tell her their home was on fire.

"I had to ask someone for a ride," she said. "I got there and it was full of smoke. I dropped everything and started throwing water at the wall."

Fitzpatrick and Karizme were able to get out of the apartment with their rabbit. The two younger girls, Serenity and Destiny, were at a friend's house. Two hamsters on the first floor were rescued unharmed but much of their belongings were likely lost, including a cache of Christmas presents, according to the girl's grandmother, Eddine Fitzpatrick.

Fire Director Stephen Meranti said firefighters responded to the smoke alarm activation, which came in at about 3:13 p.m., and were informed en route that there was confirmed smokes and flames coming from the building at the corner of Loftus and River streets. All off-duty firefighters were called in.

Firefighters found a blaze on the first floor had moved up the wall into the attic area in the back unit of the two-story structure. The older balloon construction with no fire stops and little insulation helped the fire spread through the back exterior wall.

"It was a quick response and an aggressive attack," Meranti said, that contained the blaze before it could spread to adjoining apartments and close by buildings. "These guys did a great job."

Firefighters brought in hoses through the first floor and used the ladder truck to ventilate the ceiling, leaving a large hole in the roof. The adjacent apartment was also entered but was determined to be safe.

The unit received extensive water and smoke damage, although firefighters did what they could to cover the items in side.

River Street was closed between Veazie and Brown streets for several hours; North Adams Ambulance Service, the Wire & Alarm Division and health inspector were also on scene. A fire watch is in place at the building.

Crystal Fitzpatrick believed the fire may have been electrical because it was in the wall; she said she had been having problems with some of the outlets. Meranti said the cause had not yet been determined and that it was under investigation. The building is owned by Michael Deep, who also was at the scene.

Tenants gathered outside the building in the chilly temperatures, several without overcoats or proper footwear because of how quickly they had fled the building. Karizme Fitzpatrick was wrapped up on the ground in a sleeping bag with her bunny, Foo-foo, to keep warm.

"The whole thing was smoking," said Eddine Fitzpatrick, as she comforted Karizme and her mother. "She's afraid everything's gone."

Fitzpatrick said she had had the two bedrooms for the girls redone and expected that all their clothing, if not burnt, was now severely damaged. The Christmas presents stashed in the attic by the chimney were likely gone, too, she said.

Power was cut to all the apartments and tenants were expected to be helped tonight by the Red Cross. Mingling around in the chill wind, they hugged each other in commiseration and wondered what was next.

"Why do these things happen to us when we're working so hard to get ahead?" wondered one woman.