AMHERST — A fire that began on a porch at an Olympia Oaks apartment building Saturday morning, likely from an e-bike’s ion lithium battery, displaced six residents, with two of the occupants transported by ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton as a precaution, according to Amherst Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren.
At 11:23 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire alarm and 911 calls at 38 Olympia Oaks, part of a 42-unit development located on Olympia Place off East Pleasant Street.
The fire had a good start before firefighters got there, Stromgren said, even though the North Fire Station is only about two minutes away.
“The fire had a lot of headway, there was a lot of fire charging into the attic,” Stromgren said.
The on-duty full-time firefighters, along with Amherst police officers, confirmed that the porch at unit 38 was heavily involved, with the fire extending into the structure, both the first and second floors, and into the attic.
A recall for all Amherst firefighters was sounded, as well as a second alarm for mutual aid. Stromgren said between the on-duty, off-duty, on-call and student force, about 30 Amherst firefighters responded, with another dozen or so from area departments, including Belchertown Fire, Hadley Fire, Northampton Fire and Pelham Fire. A Granby Fire Department ambulance was also present.
After confirming that all occupants were out of the building, with one woman jumping from a second-floor window, the fire was initially attacked from the outside due to the size of the fire. Crews worked for the next two hours to extinguish the blaze, he said.
During their search of the building, firefighters rescued a cat, two guinea pigs and some other pets, and were able to reunite these with their owners.
The person who jumped and a second person were brought to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, Stromgren said
Representatives from Eversource and Berkshire Gas were on scene and shut off electrical and gas service to the building. The Amherst building and electrical inspectors were there, too, working with management to secure the building.
But the building’s three apartments, which were built and began welcoming families in 2014, are uninhabitable.
“The damage is very significant and beyond repair,” Stromgren said, adding that portions of the building will need to be rebuilt.
Red Cross and property management, Way Finders, are finding housing for the residents. Way Finders has provided hotel accommodation for the three affected families, while Red Cross supplied immediate assistance, including gift cards, laundry packs and food support. The resident services team at Way Finders is also in contact with the families to coordinate additional resources, engaging with the town’s Community Responders for Equity, Safety & Service to ensure wraparound support, as well as the Amherst Survival Center.
Way Funders is also working to get all the families relocated as soon as possible, includingcovering moving expenses and providing PODS as needed to ensure asmooth transfer of belongings.
“Our priority is the safety, stability and well-being of the families we serve,” said Keith Fairey, president & CEO of Way Finders. Fairey also thanked those who have helped out, including the broader community.
While still a working hypothesis, based on eyewitness accounts but not yet confirmed, the e-bicycle on the porch appears to have ignited the fire, Stromgren said.
“They shouldn’t be indoors, they shouldn’t be in an apartment, they shouldn’t even be in attached garages,” Stromgren said
“They can ignite when charging, though this bike was not charging at the time.”
The risk of such fires was illustrated in March, when an electric bicycle’s battery pack exploded in a Holyoke apartment, injuring one person and displacing several residents. At that time, the state fire marshal’s advisory included storing lithium-ion batteries and the devices they power at room temperature whenever possible.
State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said that the Holyoke incident was one of more than 170 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries since late 2023, when the Department of Fire Services launched a new tool for reporting these events.
UMass Police, with the stations located nearby, already had a drone in the air as part of its preparation for the UMass football game. This captured the onset of the fire, with aerials showing the smoke and flames coming up from the building.
All fire crews were clear of the building at 3 p.m., at which time property management was working to secure the structure.
Other efforts are underway to help the families affected by the fire.
A GoFundMe fundraiser is being organized by a woman trying to help her aunt, uncle and teenage cousin. That is at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/j8suy-family-lost-home-due-to-fire
A Spotfund fundraiser is being organized on behalf of a woman and her 7-year-old son: https://www.spotfund.com/story/06ade348-7ce0-49d6-af2c-f3bfdfbacdee
In another project, at AROMA-Therapy, 190 University Drive, on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the business will be raising money and collecting supplies to help the single mother and her son.
At this event there will also be prizes, free mini massages and mini scrubs, and the site will serve as a drop-off location for any donations, such as clothing and household items.
Way Finders is suggesting people can also call the town’s CRESS department at 413-259-3370.