SUNDERLAND — Investigators have determined that the fire at the Sugarloaf Estates apartment complex on River Road (Route 47) early Saturday morning started on a kitchen stovetop in one of the apartments.
The fire was called in at around 1:20 a.m., according to the Sunderland Fire Department, and did not result in any reported injuries to residents, firefighters or pets.
“While members were responding to the station, it was confirmed to be a working fire and a first alarm was struck,” a post on the Sunderland Fire Department’s Facebook page reads. Firefighters from at least 16 area departments responded, allowing first responders to contain the fire to the center section of the apartment building and limit damage.
According to Massachusetts Department of Fire Services spokesperson Jake Wark, investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and local officials determined that the fire began on a stovetop in the kitchen of one of the apartments.
“Cooking fires are by far the most common type of fires in Massachusetts and across the country,” Wark wrote in an email. “We want to remind folks to stand by their pan when cooking on the stovetop — stay in the room while the burners are on. It’s also smart to keep the area around the stove clear of food packaging, towels and anything else that can burn.”
In addition to Sunderland, assisting fire departments and districts include South Deerfield, Amherst, Leverett, Whately, Montague Center, Conway, Shutesbury, Hadley, Belchertown, Northfield, Greenfield, Turners Falls, Erving, Bernardston and Northampton.
South County EMS, the Sunderland Police Department, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services also provided support.
Route 47 was temporarily closed during the emergency response, according to the Sunderland Police Department.
