NORTHAMPTON — One week ago, Kara Peterman moved into her new apartment at 47 Round Hill Road. On Friday evening, the adjoining building, number 49, was engulfed in flames.
Peterman, 28, along with dozens of others, watched late Friday evening as Northampton firefighters tried to stop the flames from progressing from 49, which is currently vacant, to 47, where 11 apartments are occupied.
“The fire alarm went off while I was watching the Olympics,” Peterman said, wearing a coat and holding her purse while standing outside the burning building. Those were the only things she was able to take with her.
Inside her apartment were her laptops for work as well as her musical instruments — two wooden clarinets.
Her new home was once a part of the former Clarke School for the Deaf, and she liked the modern feel of the apartment.
Charles Brummer likewise recently moved into 47 Round Hill Road. The building opened to tenants on July 1, he said.
“The connector (between the buildings) is on fire,” he said. “You can see they are trying to save the occupied building.
Brummer said he heard the fire alarm and shortly afterwards heard a cry of “This is real! Get out of the building!”
“It spread so fast,” he said.
As onlookers captured photos and videos on their cell phones, firefighters and emergency responders moved them further away from the building — first across the street and then further still.
Orange flames leaped out of 49 Round Hill Road and loud cracks issued from the inferno, signaling that the building was beginning to collapse.
Emergency response officials declined to comment at the scene.
Crescent Street resident Monica Breen, 35, said she took a walk at 10 p.m. and all was quiet. A half an hour later, she noticed smoke and light coming from the building on fire, she said.
Mike Chalifoux, 35, heard about the fire like most of his fellow residents at 47 Round Hill Road.
“The fire alarm went off in the building here and it was really, really loud,” he said. “After a few minutes of hoping it was going to stop, somebody came and knocked on the door.”
It was the Northampton Police, who told Chalifoux to get out.
“I came outside and was shocked to look next door and see a fire of that proportion,” he said. “It was pretty bad and I’ve been outside for a while now.”
As he watched, he said his hope is that the fire would not spread and burn down his building.
Chalifoux moved to Northampton from Wisconsin one month ago. He started working at a job in Springfield and chose Northampton as the place he wanted to live.
Shortly after midnight, Northampton called for a third alarm.
More information will be added to the story as it becomes available.