Firefighter Charles Dillon of Ayer pauses from chainsawing to survey the scene as flames lap out of the roof below. He cut through the roof of the Harvard Historical Society in Still River after a blaze broke out Tuesday morning. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz) MORE PHOTOS
Firefighters from nine neighboring towns joined Harvard to contain a fire that broke out in the attic of the Harvard Historical Society in Still River at approximately 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, sending flames and smoke into the air before it was suppressed. Under the direction of Lieutenant Rob Warren, the various firefighting teams coordinated their efforts to attack the fire from all directions, with Ayer opening the roof, and firefighters from Harvard and Clinton on opposite sides of the attic.
“It took the crew about an hour to knock it down, said Fire Chief Bob Mignard. “As we say in the business, it was a really good stop.”
The fire appears to have started as the result of paint remover vapors that were unintentionally ignited by a spark from either a sander or a nail, according to a press release issued by the office of State Fire Marshal Steven D. Coan. Coan arrived on the scene about 10 a.m. as crews were putting away hoses and emptying the 3,000-gallon fire pond set up by the side of the road. Workers painting the outside of the building were the first to notify dispatch.
The building, a former Baptist church erected in 1832 and purchased by the HHS in the 1960s, is a type particularly vulnerable to fire, Warren said. “We don’t save many churches this age.”
The historical value of the building, in addition to the many irreplaceable pieces of furniture, antiques, artifacts, and other memorabilia that document Harvard’s history, put extra pressure on all the crews to save the building as quickly as possible, according to Mignard.
Selectman and former Fire Chief Peter Warren directed efforts to salvage the building’s contents, many of which were soaked with water. A number of volunteers set up tarps on which to dry the many antiques stored in the building, mopping them with paper towels. By late afternoon, the lawn in front of the HHS was covered with boxes recovered from the building, and volunteers were scrambling to find safe storage for them.
HHS President Carlene Phillips was on the scene shortly after getting a call from board member Jack Purdy. While there is no estimate of damage yet, she said, Dennis Murphy, owner of Murphy Insurance Agency and the insurer of the HHS building, was also at the fire and is working to have an assessment by next week. Dave Woodsum, the town’s electrical inspector, also played a key role, she added.
Phillips and other HHS board members and volunteers worked long into the night, stopping only for pizza provided by SERVPRO of Fitchburg. The company acted quickly to start drying out the building, and HHS will be able to salvage all of the water-damaged antiques. Phillips said she is grateful for the fact that the town’s archives are stored in the curator’s quarters, a separate building at the back of the property that was not affected by the fire.
The importance of the neighbors, firemen, and other volunteers who came to help could not be overestimated, Phillips said. “Horrible as it was, there’s so much to be thankful for in terms of people’s safety and saving the building and not losing anything from the collection. It was heartwarming to have all those people turning out to help.”
