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Date: 11/3/2022
CHESTER — The town of Chester had two emergencies on Oct. 27 that required outside assistance.
Just after midnight, mutual aid was requested to assist Chester to fight a fire at a house at 80 Route 20, to which the towns of Becket, Blandford, Huntington and Russell responded. The Hinsdale Fire Department set up a rehab unit for the many firefighters on the scene, the Hilltown Community Ambulance responded with medical coverage, and the Massachusetts State Police and Chester Police provided traffic control on Route 20, according to firefighters who responded.
The house was completely consumed in the fire.
According to Jake Wark, public information office for the state fire marshal, which investigated the incident, as of Oct. 28, the cause of the fire on Route 20 had not been determined, “but it does not appear suspicious and there were no injuries.”
Wark said the Chester Fire Department and State Police fire investigators identified potential causes, but the scope of the damage made it difficult to reach a conclusive determination.
“One factor they are considering is a common one in accidental fires, and that’s the excessive use of extension cords to power various appliances. This is dangerous, because extension cords can’t handle the current of heavy appliances like refrigerators, space heaters, etc. Always plug these devices directly into a wall outlet to avoid an electrical fire. If you use extension cords for smaller devices, remember to check them periodically and discard them if they show signs of damage or wear. It’s much easier to replace an extension cord than all the things you could lose in a fire,” Wark said.
The homeowners, Arthur and Deborah Geary, had been cited and fined by the Chester Board of Health numerous times over the last several years for abandoned vehicles and garbage on the property, and had not responded, according to Board of Health Clerk Elizabeth Massa.
Building Inspector Jason Forgue said he has also spoken to the homeowners two or three times over the last couple of years. He issued a notice in 2019, and did not get a response for a year and a half. Forgue said the fines have been accruing daily, because none of the issues had been addressed.
On Oct. 26, the Board of Health issued an order of enforcement for multiple violations of the sanitary code requiring residents to keep areas free from garbage and rubbish.
Massa said given the condition of the exterior of the house, the order required the violations to be remedied by Nov. 27, and requested an exterior and interior inspection of the property by Nov. 29.
“Mr. Geary has been telling us that we cannot come inspect because he was having some health concerns, and wished us to hold off from issuing an order until fall,” she said.
With the house a total loss from the fire, fines owed to the town will now be attached as a lien to any insurance settlement, Massa said, according to new town bylaws passed by Town Meeting in June 2021.
In a separate incident on Oct. 27 in Chester, a hazardous materials team was called in to clean up chemicals and materials found at a home on Skyline Trail by the family member of one of the residents at the address, who had died.
According to Wark, “the hazmat incident involved the home of a former laboratory worker who passed away. Various chemicals and other lab equipment were found at the site. While they did not pose an immediate hazard to the community, they did require specialized personnel and equipment to identify, remove and dispose of safely.”
Wark said as of Oct. 28, the teams were still there, “but the materials are confined to one area of the home and not an immediate hazard, so the [other] resident is able to continue living there.”