Runners from across Massachusetts and the country took to the streets in downtown Holyoke Saturday for the city's 43rd St. Patrick's Road Race.

HOLYOKE -- Runners from across Massachusetts and the country took to the streets in downtown Holyoke Saturday for the city's 43rd St. Patrick's Road Race.

Despite near-freezing temperatures, more than 6,800 people turned out for the annual 10-kilometer race, which takes runners from the intersection of Maple and Lyman Streets to Homestead Avenue before looping them back past Holyoke Medical Center to the finish line.

Aside from the 10K race, a two-mile walk and kids fun run drew a respective 550 and 300 participants, organizers said.

John Busque, of Manchester, Connecticut, saw the fastest 10K course completion of the day, with a time of 30:37.

Zachary Hine, of Littleton, Colorado, placed second with a time of 30:38, according to results posted on RaceWire. 

Everett Hackett, of Hartford, Connecticut, claimed third with a finish time of 31:13.

Apryl Sabadosa, of Westfield, meanwhile, was the first woman to cross the 10K race's finish line, with a time of 36:52.

She was followed by Jessie Cardin, of Sutton, who completed the 10K with a time of 37:38, according to the results.

Jenna Gigliotti, of Northampton, came in third with a time of 38:22.

Neither Busque nor Sabadosa beat the respective male and female course records set in 2016, when Moroccan long-distance runner Mourad Marofit won the 10K race's men's division with a time of 28:37 and Ethiopian runner Etalemahu Habtewold topped the women's with 32:50 finish time.

Results for the 10K's age group winners and top Holyoke runners are listed below:

Female 39 and Under: 
Apryl Sabadosa - 36:52

Male 39 and Under: 
John Busque - 30:37

Female 40-49: 
Elizabeth Mueller - 42:30

Male 40-49: 
Ethan Nedeau - 34:46

Female 50-59:
Mimi Fallon - 40:13

Male 50-59:
Michael Spitzer - 38:50

Female 60-69: 
Sidney Letendre - 47:33

Male 60-69:
Edward Appel - 44:06

Female 70 and Over: 
Geraldine Liebert - 1:02:58

Male 70 and Over: 
William Dixon - 41:00

Top Holyoke Finisher: 
Bryan Dec - 34:55
Melissa Cooney - 39:15

Full results can be found at online at RaceWire.com

Three people were sent to the hospital with injuries after a car crash in Monson Saturday.

MONSON - Three people were sent to the hospital Friday evening after a two vehicle crash in Monson, police said.

The crash closed a section of Cedar Swamp Road, where it occurred. Police did not release details on when the crash took place. 

Injuries sustained during the crash do not appear to be life threatening, police said. Further details on the victims were not available. 

A factor in the crash appears to have been distract driving, police said. 

No further details were released. 

Two people were arrested in Ludlow Thursday after police discovered heroin in their vehicle.

LUDLOW - Two people were arrested in Ludlow Thursday after a traffic stop by police led to the discovery of heroin in their vehicle. 

Carly Sarrasin, 31, and Brian Goguen, 42, both of Ludlow, were taken into custody after authorities found 60 packets of heroin in their car, said Sgt. Daniel Valadas of Ludlow police. 

Police stopped Sarrasin and Goguen on James Street near Tower Road. Ludlow police detectives and patrol officers participated in the arrest.  

The drugs as well as $243 in cash were seized as evidence, Valadas said. 

Sarrasin is charged with possessing and distributing heroin, as well as driving without a license. 

Goguen was arrested on two active warrants. Police did not specify the nature of the warrants. 

Both were booked at the Ludlow police department. Sarrasin was released on bail. Goguen was taken to Palmer District Court. 

A household pet died in a house fire in Chicopee Saturday.

CHICOPEE - A household pet was killed after a house fire in Chicopee Saturday afternoon, police said. 

Firefighters responded to 53 Moore Street around 1:30 p.m. after the blaze was called in, said Chicopee Police spokesman Michael Wilk. 

The sole occupant of the house escaped unharmed but their dog was killed in the blaze, Wilk said. 

As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze officials closed parts of the road nearby. The fire has now been put out and the road reopened, Wilk said. 

Here are the winning jackpot numbers in Saturday's Powerball lottery drawing.

The latest Powerball drawing offers another huge jackpot -- close to half a billion dollars -- for someone who holds a lottery ticket with the right numbers.

File

Here are Saturday's winning numbers:

22-57-59-60-66, Powerball: 07, PowerPlay: 2X

The estimated jackpot is $456.7 million. The lump sum payment before taxes would be about $269 million. If there is no jackpot winner, the amount grows even larger for the next drawing.

The prize amount has grown steadily since the Jan. 6 Powerball drawing. A single winning ticket worth $559.7 million was sold in New Hampshire. The holder of the ticket has since gone to court to preserve her anonymity.

Powerball is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball champions.

The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays and Saturdays. Deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The City Council has launched an official Facebook page to reach out to the public, but the city clerk is warning them to avoid making comments or entering into debates that could risk infractions of the Open Meeting Law and state campaign finance laws.

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council took a leap into social media this week, creating its own official Facebook page as a means to expand outreach and provide information to city residents.

Councilors have been advised by City Clerk Anthony Wilson to avoid commenting and getting into debates on the page due to the risk of violating the Open Meeting Law or campaign finance laws.

The council recently approved the page by a unanimous resolution, saying Facebook "has become a way in which many people get their news and stay connected to current events and happenings locally and globally."

The council office staff, under Wilson's direction, will post information such as meeting schedules, resolutions, proclamations, new legislation, live video, videos of previous meetings and other information relevant to the council, the resolution stated. It will not promote individual councilors, Wilson said.

City councilors said they encourage the public to go to the page and add a "like" or comment if they wish. The site can be found here. 

"Public participation is an essential component to local government," Council President Orlando Ramos said. "Facebook is just one more tool that the Springfield City Council intends to utilize for the purpose of keeping the public informed."

Justin Hurst, who introduced the original resolution calling for the creation of a Facebook page four years ago, and Jesse Lederman, who re-introduced the matter, said content will be added on a regular basis.

"We recognize the role that social media can play in getting information to our constituents," Lederman said. "This is about broadening the reach and accessibility of the work we do on the City Council, and is part of a broader, concerted effort at community engagement that I believe is vital to ensuring a pro-active and accountable local government."

Hurst said the idea for the Facebook page came from the council's former Young Professionals Committee, which he chaired, and he is grateful that Lederman resubmitted it for council consideration.

"This is yet another example of the City Council making government more accessible to our constituents," Hurst said.

Wilson said that if councilors commented on issues under their jurisdiction on the page, it could be deemed "deliberation" outside a public meeting, a potential violation of the Open Meeting Law. The page also cannot be used to give political advantage to individual councilors, he said.

Hurst said he is not concerned.

"All of the city councilors' contact information is on the Facebook page in the event someone from the public would like to contact us directly regarding a particular issue of concern," he said.

The ferry that lost power off Martha's Vineyard recently underwent a $17 million refurbishment.

A ferry carrying more than 80 people lost power off Martha's Vineyard Saturday night and by Sunday morning it was eventually safely moored in Vineyard Haven, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead and a response boat crew from the Coast Guard Station Woods Hole responded around 9 p.m. after the Motor Vessel Martha's Vineyard lost power with more than 80 people aboard.

The Coast Guard responded until a commercial tow could arrive.

"The ferry safely moored in Vineyard Haven at about 2 a.m.," the Coast Guard wrote Sunday morning. "It was escorted by three tugs."

The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authorities told CBS Boston in a statement that the ferry lost power to the main engines about 15 minutes into the 45-minute trip. The ferry was going from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole.

A total of 72 passengers and 14 crew members were aboard.

There were no injuries. The Steamship Authority's website says the MV Martha's Vineyard carries up to 1,274 people and 54 vehicles and is about 230 feet in length.

The Martha's Vineyard Times said the vessel, built in 1993, just underwent a $17.5 million refurbishment and returned to service earlier in March.

The company known for offering "buy one, get one free" deals while selling Snuggies and other products will refund customers after agreeing to a $7.5 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The company known for offering "buy one, get one free" deals while selling Snuggies and other products will refund customers after agreeing to a $7.5 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. 

Allstar Marketing Group, the company that offered the deal for the full-length, wearable blankets, reached the deal with the FTC after authorities said the company didn't close hidden processing and handling fees, according to a news release from the FTC. 

"This agreement returns money to thousands of consumers in New York and across the nation who believed they were buying items at the price advertised on television, but ended up with extra merchandise and hidden fees they didn't bargain for," New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said. "The settlement also brings much needed reforms to a major firm in the direct marketing industry. Those who use small print and hidden fees to inflate charges to unwitting consumers must be held accountable."

The settlement includes customers who bought the Snuggie, but also the Perfect Bacon Bowl, the Magic Mesh Door, Perfect Brownie Pan, Cat's Meow and Roto Punch products.

More than 218,000 refund checks are now in the mail from the FTC. The average check is about $33. People who bought the products over the last 20 years could see a refund.

The FTC said the New York-based company advertised people would get two products for $19.95, but also ended up paying $7.95 for processing and handling for each item.

Consumers with questions about this case can also call the Attorney General's consumer helpline at 1-800-771-7755.

Mount Tom has been closed since 1998 and is partly owned by the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club.

HOLYOKE - The retail shop at the long-closed Mount Tom Ski area burned in a fire Saturday night.

The blaze, which was reported at about 10:20 p.m., was quickly extinguished by firefighters using landlines. Firefighters were on the scene for about an hour, Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said.

The retail shop is one of a half-dozen buildings that remain at the base of the former ski area which closed in 1998. This is the second time there has been a fire in the building, Cavagnac said.

No one was injured fighting the fire, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cavagnac said.

After the ski area closed a group of a group of federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups bought the 359 acres of land and buildings. The Holyoke Boys and Girls Club owns the buildings, which includes the former lodge.

The property is blocked with a locked gate and police do regular checks of the area to prevent further damage.

At least two people jumped from second-floor windows to escape flames before firefighters arrived.

UPDATE: Fire officials say three people are dead in Sunday's fire.

SPRINGFIELD - Four people, including a child and a pregnant woman, were brought to the hospital and three residents are missing after a major fire in an apartment building on Belmont Avenue Sunday morning.

A man and a child were injured after jumping from the second floor of the building before firefighters arrived. A pregnant woman and an elderly woman were also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, Dennis Leger, assistant to Fire Commissioner Bernard "BJ" Calvi, said.

Three other people who lived on the second floor of 49 Belmont Avenue are unaccounted for, Leger said.

The fire was reported at about 7:20 a.m. by the alarm company and shortly after a police officer also called in seeing flames and smoke. Firefighters arrived at the address within five minutes and began searching for people and extinguishing the blaze, he said.

It was not immediately known how many people lived in the four-story apartment building, he said.

This is a breaking story. Masslive will update as more information becomes available.

The parade kicks off from Northampton Street and culminates on Hampden Street in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE -- It's a sunny, but frigid day in Holyoke as thousands of spectators huddle together on lawn chairs and under blankets in anticipation of the  67^th St. Patrick's Day Parade, set to kick off at 11:30 a.m.

Inside the Holyoke Senior Center the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke  celebrated an annual tradition Sunday morning, the Ambassador Award breakfast.

This year's Ambassador Award went to author and filmmaker Mary Pat Kelly. The Ambassador Award is presented to a person or organization that has worked to promote the relationship between the people of the Republic of Ireland and the people of the United States.

The breakfast has been sponsored by Tighe & Bond since its inception, said the David Pinsky, president of the company.

"It's a privilege and honor for our company to sponsor this award because our heritage is Irish and our roots are here in the city of Holyoke," he said.

The breakfast has long swerved as the kickoff to the parade celebration on Sunday morning.

Timothy A. O'Grady, parade committee president urged everyone to keep warm and get ready for a fun afternoon.

"There's cool weather, but hopefully we can warm up and enjoy  the parade and remember all  those that we come here for," he said.

The parade will start from the KMart Plaza on Northampton Street, then make its way down Beech Street, onto Appleton Street, then High Street and culminate on Hampden Street. It is expected to begin between 11:30 -11:45 a.m. and viewers  can watch it live from home on WGBY-TV, Channel 57. Live streaming coverage of the parade will being at noon and can be seen at wgby.org/stpatricksparade

Many of the residents are immigrants from Somalia. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Three people have died in a major fire that forced panicked residents to flee flames by jumping from second and third-story windows Sunday morning.

A fire at 49 Belmont Ave. broke out at about 7:20 a.m. When firefighters arrived people had jumped and were jumping from windows even as they were preparing to raise ladders, Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi said.

Four people were taken to local hospitals with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. At least one of the injured was a pregnant woman and another is a child, said Dennis Leger, assistant to Calvi.

When firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke and fire on the second and third floors, Calvi said. 

"During the course of the fire we were told there were occupants missing. We started a search process for those people," Calvi said. "We have since found them...we have three confirmed fatalities from this fire."

The names of the dead have not been released yet.

Between 60 and 80 people who lived in the four-story building have been displaced. As of now the residents are being kept warm of a PVTA bus at the scene while the city is working with the landlord to find temporary and possibly permanent housing for the residents, Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

"This is a terrible, terrible thing. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have gone through this," Sarno said.

Sarno said he arrived at about 8 a.m. to find a terrible scene. Firefighters were doing their best to extinguish the blaze and slipping on ice while residents were outside with no coats and sometimes no shoes, shivering in the cold.

The city is working with the Pioneer Valley of the American Red Cross to help the families in any way possible. Officials with the Building Inspector's office are examining the building to see if part of it can still be occupied, he said.

The initial call for the fire came through the alarm company and shortly after a Springfield Police Officer on patrol also reported the fire. Firefirefighters responded within five minutes of the initial call, Leger said.

Firefighters had to deal with temperatures in the teens and 20s and a biting wind that caused the fire to spread rapidly within the building, Calvi said.

The fire caused second-floor windows to fail and break. The 20 mile an hour winds then blew into the building, causing the fire to spread quickly, he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Springfield Fire investigators, the State Fire Marshal's office, and investigators assigned to District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, said Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, who was at the scene.

It is too soon to say if the cause of the fire is suspicious, Calvi said.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was placed on administrative leave Sunday morning after he allegedly was drunk on the job.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was placed on administrative leave Sunday morning after he allegedly was drunk on the job. 

Trooper Jonathan Brown, who works at the Devens barracks, was relieved of duty around 2 a.m. He was in the middle of working an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, State Police spokesman David Procopio told MassLive. 

"The reason for that action was observations made relative to temporary fitness for duty," Procopio said. 

Brown will remains on administrative leave pending a duty status hearing scheduled in the upcoming week. 

The trooper arrived under the influence of alcohol and there is no evidence he was drinking while on duty, sources told MassLive. 

Brown allegedly slurred his speech on the radio when other troopers reached him. 

The State Police are looking to see if Brown responded to any calls while working the shift.

Unlike some other barracks, troopers assigned to Devens are not given take-home cruisers. It appears Brown drove his own personal vehicle to the barracks at the start of his shift.

The fire at 49 Belmont Ave. displaced between 60 and 80 people. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Jonathan Beaudry was in his apartment on the second floor early Sunday morning when he smelled smoke and then start to hear commotion from the building.

He was able to escape a major fire in his building wearing just shorts and sneakers. Other people living in the 28 apartments in the four-story building were not able to escape.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the Sunday morning blaze that killed a man and two children and sent four others, a pregnant woman, a child, a man and an elderly woman, to the hospital, Fire Commissioner Bernard "BJ" Calvi said.

"People were jumping from the windows upon arrival," Calvi said.

Between 60 and 80 people were displaced in the fire that started on the second floor and spread to the third, he said.

"I smelled smoke before I heard the alarms," Beaudry said. "It was really thick."

Beaudry said he was three apartments away from the one that faced Belmont Avenue where the blaze began. He was able to escape through the back door.

"People were jumping from the windows upon arrival," Calvi said.

Judy Coleman, of Agawam, was driving by the apartment building when she saw fire and the chaos of people trying to escape the blaze at about 7:20 a.m. Although she was just wearing sandals and socks, she stopped to help before firefighters arrived.

"It was a crazy scene. There were so many kids running from the building," she said.

She assisted one woman who had a seizure while standing on the sidewalk after escaping. The woman said her husband had been injured in the fire, Coleman said.

"It is unfortunate some people who were in there couldn't get out," she said. "The woman who lost her husband and children is sitting on the bus."

The city asked the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to send a bus to the street to give people who escaped the burning building in bitter cold temperatures a place to stay warm. Later they were brought to the South End Community Center where social service agencies gathered to help provide temporary and permanent shelter for the residents, Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was placed on administrative leave Sunday morning after he allegedly was drunk on the job.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was placed on administrative leave Sunday morning after he allegedly was drunk on the job. 

Trooper Jonathan Brown, who works at the Devens barracks, was relieved of duty around 2 a.m. He was in the middle of working an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, State Police spokesman David Procopio told MassLive. 

"The reason for that action was observations made relative to temporary fitness for duty," Procopio said. 

Brown will remains on administrative leave pending a duty status hearing scheduled in the upcoming week. 

The trooper arrived under the influence of alcohol and there is no evidence he was drinking while on duty, sources told MassLive. 

Brown allegedly slurred his speech on the radio when other troopers reached him. 

The State Police are looking to see if Brown responded to any calls while working the shift.

Unlike some other barracks, troopers assigned to Devens are not given take-home cruisers. It appears Brown drove his own personal vehicle to the barracks at the start of his shift.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday brought up the adult film star who goes by the name "Stormy Daniels" and ripped into President Donald Trump at the 2018 St. Patrick's Day roast in Boston.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday brought up the adult film star who goes by the name "Stormy Daniels" and ripped into President Donald Trump at the 2018 St. Patrick's Day roast in Boston.

Warren said she prepared for jokes at the breakfast about her looks and age at the roast, which features elected officials poking fun at themselves and each other before stepping over down the street to the annual parade.

"It's spring training for my 2018 re-elect [campaign]," Warren told the crowd gathered at the Ironworkers Local 7 union hall in South Boston.

Among the tips she received about what to say at the annual roast, Warren quipped, "Stormy Daniels said, 'If you don't say a word, they'll pay $130,000.'"

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, allegedly had an affair with Trump in 2006. Attorneys for Trump say she has violated a non-disclosure agreement in talking about the affair.

Warren also took aim at Mitt Romney, the former presidential candidate and Massachusetts governor who is running for US Senate in Utah. Romney, who has sometimes been critical of the president, has received Trump's endorsement via the president's Twitter account.

"It must make Mitt feel really important to know his endorsement was at 3 a.m. by a guy in a fuzzy bathrobe, eating a cheeseburger," Warren said.

Warren joined other elected officials from across Massachusetts on the stage, including Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and US Sen. Ed Markey, among others.

Trump lawyer confirms $130K payment to porn star Stormy Daniels

Baker took a selfie with Warren on the stage and quipped, in an allusion to both of them being on the 2018 ballot, "I don't know if this hurts or helps either one of us."

The annual roast was hosted this year by two South Boston elected officials, Congressman Stephen Lynch, who previously hosted the breakfast, and Boston City Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty.

Lynch and Flaherty too over for former Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who earlier this year left the state Senate and the hosting duties for an executive-level job at Suffolk Construction.

Attorney General Maura Healey acknowledged Dorcena Forry's hosting tenure, noting there were concerns, when she took over the breakfast in 2014, that the daughter of Haitian immigrants "maybe wasn't Irish enough."

"I don't think we can honestly question that now, look at how she ran after that pot of gold," Healey said.

"I couldn't resist," Healey added after the crowd clapped and laughed.

People have until April 15 to use Toys "R" Us gift cards after the company announced it will close all of the stores in the United States.

People have until April 15 to use Toys "R" Us gift cards after the company announced it will close all of the stores in the United States.

Company customer service representatives are advising people to use any gift cards as soon as possible. Toys "R" Us said the customer programs, including Reward dollars and Endless Earnings, will also end.

Toys "R" Us filed for bankruptcy in September and in February it announced the Massachusetts locations in Millbury, Bellingham, Northborough and Framingham and a Babies "R" Us in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside would all close.

The company just recently announced all the stores would close leaving people until April 15 to use the gift cards.

Roughly 33,000 people will lose their jobs when the stores close.

Between 60 and 80 residents were displaced from their homes after a fire tore through 49 Belmont Ave. Sunday morning. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - In the aftermath of a horrific fire that left a man and two children dead and as many as 80 people displaced, city officials are working with social service agencies to help those left homeless.

"We are making sure everyone is warm and has temporary shelter," Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said. "My thoughts and prayers are with the families."

The fire was first detected and reported at about 7:20 a.m. by an automatic private alarm in the building at 49 Belmont Ave. Shortly after a police officer on patrol also reported seeing smoke coming from the building, Dennis Leger, assistant to Fire Commissioner Bernard "BJ" Calvi, said.

"First in fire companies on scene found heavy fire on the second floor extending to the third," Calvi. "People were jumping from the windows on arrival."

Firefighters called for more personnel, set up ladders to rescue people and started spraying water on the blaze. They also began searching the building for any occupants who had not been able to get out of the building, Calvi said.

"During the course of the fire we were told there were occupants missing. We started a search process for those people," Calvi said. "We have since found them...we have three confirmed fatalities from this fire."

The names of the victims have not been released yet. Fire officials were waiting for the Medical Examiner to arrive as of early afternoon to begin the investigation, Calvi and Sarno said.

Four other people were also injured, mainly after they jumped safety from second and third-floor windows. A pregnant woman, an elderly woman, a child and a man were brought to the hospital for treatment.

Calvi said he believed their injuries were not serious and he did see them walking to the ambulance.

Sarno said he arrived at about 8 a.m. and called the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to ask for a bus so those who fled from apartments wearing no coats and in some cases no shoes would have shelter from the biting winds and freezing temperatures.

By noon the city opened the South End Community center, located a few blocks from the fire, and began working with residents to find them temporary shelter, clothing and to help them with any other services they needed, Sarno said.

The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting city officials. The building owners have also been calling other landlords to find available apartments.

Jewish Family Services were also called and several employees responded to help the families. Some of the victims, including those killed and injured in the fire, are refugees from Africa, Dierdre Griffin, the new America's program director.

"For folks who arrived as refugees it is trauma upon trauma," she said of the fire.

Three of the families involved in the fire are from Somalia and a fourth is from Congo. Most have been in the country for at least two years but they cultural differences and are not fluent in English yet so employees from Jewish Family Services arrived to make sure everyone understands clearly how to get shelter and other assistance including grief counseling, she said.

While Griffin was at the fire scene, another counselor went to the hospital to help fire victims who where taken there with injuries, she said.

Although the agency may not currently be working with the families, since they are settled in the country, Griffin said employees know the families and wanted to help them. She thanked Sarno for calling the agency immediately.

City inspectors converged on the building to see if some of the apartments can still be occupied, since firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading throughout the building. Before people are allowed into the building, the electrical service, heat and alarm systems will have to be deemed safe and the area of fire damage will have to be walled off so no one can enter it, Sarno said.

In other cases, Sarno said he is hoping some of the families will be able to be placed in apartments as soon as possible. If apartments cannot be found immediately, they will be either placed short-term in hotels or if necessary he will open a shelter.

City records show the building is owned by LRS Realty, of Holyoke. The four-story apartment block is assessed at $701,100 and has 20 apartments.

Sarno said there were no problems reported with the building and the fire alarm system was up-to-date. There were no sprinklers in the building.

Jonathan Beaudry escaped from his second-floor apartment wearing shorts and sneakers. He said he smelled heavy smoke and fled out a back door.

"I'm really not sure what I'm going to do next," he said while standing outside the building.

His apartment was about three doors down from the one where the fire is believed to have started, Beaudry said he wasn't sure if his home was badly damaged.

A report of a man possibly passed out inside a car at a Newburyport parking lot Saturday led to the discovery of more than four pounds of marijuana and two guns, authorities said.

A report of a man possibly passed out inside a car at a Newburyport parking lot Saturday led to the discovery of more than four pounds of marijuana and two guns, authorities said.

Newburyport City Marshal Mark Murray said police seized two guns more than 200 rounds of ammunition, heroin and more than four pounds of marijuana Saturday.

Two men from Colorado, Traevon McGairty and Kahiland Phillips, both 22, were arrested on numerous firearms and drug charges.

Police were called to the Mobil gas station on Storey Avenue around 4:45 a.m. Saturday.

"A store clerk reported that a man had been asleep in a car in the parking lot for a few hours and was concerned that the man may have been passed out," police said.

McGairty and Phillips were found asleep in the car. Officers asked the men to get out because the vehicle had dark, tinted windows.

"When Phillips got out of the driver's seat an officer saw a handgun in plain view near the seat," police said.

Both men were immediately arrested. The men did not have a licenses to carry a firearm.

Police searched the vehicle and found a duffel bag with another handgun inside and 210 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

More than four pounds of marijuana were found in vacuum sealed bags along with nine grams of heroin.

Authorities say they also discovered a stun gun and $927 in cash.

"This is an example of what officers can come across during something as routine as a welfare check," Murray said. "I think the officers did a great job and their efforts led to getting two guns and a significant amount of drugs off of our streets."