Both the fire chief and building inspector said they have received complaints about the condition of the property, which is a pile of burned rubble.
A fire in downtown Palmer on May 29 destroyed a three-story building at Main and Central streets that housed the former Gale's Newsstand. Multiple fire companies responded to the blaze.PALMER – Palmer Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said lightning has been ruled out as the cause of the blaze that destroyed the former Gales Newsstand building on downtown Main Street in May.
Roy said the cause of the May 29 fire is undetermined, and the building owner’s insurance company hired a private fire investigator to search for clues as to how the fire started. The investigator is working with the state fire marshal’s office. Roy said for a loss of that magnitude, it is standard practice for an insurance company to hire an investigator.
“There were no strikes within the area that evening,” said Roy, adding that the closest lightning strikes happened on Cook’s Mountain in Brimfield and Minnechaug Mountain.
A resident across the street reported to emergency officials that he saw lightning strike the building. Roy said the man could have seen the lightning from a distance, thinking it was closer than it appeared.
“Through my experience, it really didn’t seem like a lightning strike to me,” Roy said.
A pile of charred rubble continues to sit where the building stood at the corner of Central Street. Both Roy and Building Inspector Richard W. Rollet said they have received complaints about the mess.
Rollet left messages for the building owner and investigator on Friday, alerting them to the complaints about the property’s condition.
The property cannot be cleared until the investigation is complete. The building was vacant at the time of the fire. Building owner James R. Carvalho, of Ludlow, said he was planning to open a pizza shop there.