PITTSFIELD, Mass. Firefighters responded to a Von Nida Avenue structure fire Thursday morning that left one man with injuries. The Pittsfield Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the structure fire that gutted a West Side home and resulted in uninhabitable damage and a man being taken to Berkshire Medical Center. The Fire Department responded to an alarm at 16 Von Nida Ave. at 5 a.m. and the fire took one hour to control. According to the media report, when command arrived on the scene they saw heavy fire showing from the first and second floor of the home and immediately requested a second alarm and to bring all on-duty members and apparatus to the scene.
The cause of the fire at 78 Linden St. is still under investigation. The second-floor incurred heavy fire, smoke and water damage; the first-floor apartment has moderate damage. The occupant of the second-floor apartment was able to flee the building and firefighters evacuated the person on the floor. The fire was reported at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. The report by Deputy Chief Matthew Noyes state three engines and Tower 2 responded. Upon arrival we found heavy fire showing from the second-floor windows on the AB side, B side, and BC side of the building, Noyes wrote. Command calls for a double alarm bring E6 and E2 to the scene. E3 made an aggressive interior attack knocking down the main body of fire. Primary and secondary searches completed, back up line, ventilation and overhaul operations were completed.
Gora’s father had days earlier asked police to check the well-being of his son. Unable to locate him, police put out an alert for a black Jeep Wrangler.
Gora’s brother told police he and friends had found his brother in his Jeep in Auburn. When they tried to remove a handgun from his lap, he sped off. His brother said he was aware of text messages that indicated his brother was suicidal and he’d been hospitalized three months earlier after a suicide attempt.
Text messages in the days leading up to Feb. 2 suggested Gora may try to have police shoot him, according to Frey’s report.
Pittsfield Fire Department Honors Retired Deputy Chief Polidoro iberkshires.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iberkshires.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.