The stairwell fire caused little damage but it did reveal a bigger problem: the building's fire alarm was not working.
04/06/11-Chicopee-Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Chicopee Fire Department at the scene of an apartment fire at the corner of Chestnut and Exchange Streets in Chicopee at around 6:15 pm on Wednesday. CHICOPEE - A fire in a first-floor stairwell emptied out 12-unit apartment building at 6 Chestnut Street Wednesday evening but caused little serious damage to the building, Deputy Fire Chief James McInerney said.
The fire, reported by 911 calls at about 6:15 p.m., was confined to the stairwell and was knocked down pretty quickly, he said.
The building sustained some fire and water damage. The upper floors were also filled with smoke, he said.
“There was quite a bit of smoke,” he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighters also learned that the building did not have a working fire alarm system, McInerney said.
There were no injuries, and all residents got outside before the firefighters arrived, he said.
“We were told by tenants the alarms were not working,” he said.
The fire department placed the building under a fire watch, in which a firefighter is stationed at the property, until the alarm is fixed, he said.
The property manager was scheduled to send repair people to the scene Wednesday night to find the problem with the alarm, he said.
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