WORTHINGTON/CUMMINGTON — Firefighters battled two fires that broke out in Worthington and Cummington on Saturday, with no injuries reported, according to the state fire marshal’s office. However, seven people have been displaced by the fire in Worthington.
At about 4:30 p.m. firefighters responded to a structure fire at 568 Huntington Road in Worthington and would spend the next seven hours combatting the fire. Investigators determined that the fire began inside near the front door, where they located a space heater and baseboard heating.
“One portion of a building on the site was completely damaged as well as a camper —both of those total losses,” said Worthington Fire Chief Michael Dondiego. “The main house on the site was undamaged.”
The seven people displaced by the fire are receiving shelter, clothing and food from the Red Cross.
Some five hours later, at approximately 9:30 p.m., firefighters were called to 88 Dodwells Road in Cummington to extinguish a barn fire on the Joyner Dairy Farm. Damage to the barn in Cummington made an investigation impossible, but witness interviews indicated that there were two propane-fueled heaters inside, according to the state fire marshal’s office.
Cummington Fire Chief Adam Dragon said crews were on site counteracting the barn blaze until about 1:15 a.m. He said that approximately two-thirds of the building was destroyed, but it is hoped that a remaining one-third of the barn can be salvaged.
Dragon said the barn has been decommissioned for some years and did not have a ton of equipment in it.
Noting that it was a “busy weekend in the Hilltowns,” Dragon said that Worthington firefighters had just returned to their station before being called over to assist in the Cummington fire. Firefighters from Plainfield, Goshen, Ashfield, and the regional Highland Ambulance were all on the scene to assist as well.
“The help we had was fantastic,” Dragon said. “To me, it just shows how resilient our small departments are. They just keep going. It is an honor and a privilege to work beside them.”
The fire marshal’s office noted that, second only to cooking accidents, electrical fires are a leading cause of structural fires in Massachusetts every year. From 2020 through 2024, there were more than 6,400 heating-related fires that claimed eight lives, caused 153 injuries to firefighters and residents, and contributed to more $52 million in damages.