BRATTLEBORO — Investigators from the state Division of Fire Safety and the Brattleboro Fire Department are still trying to find the cause of a a four-alarm fire that struck a 2{1/2}-story apartment building at 16-38 Valgar St. on Nov. 7.
At least 11 families - 45 people in all - were driven from their homes by the fire. All the occupants of the 12-unit building got out safely and no injuries were reported, according to the Brattleboro Fire Department and the Red Cross.
According to Brattleboro Fire Chief Michael Bucossi, the fire was reported at 6:06 a.m.
Bucossi said that, upon arrival, firefighters found that two apartments were ablaze and flames were spreading to a third. A second alarm was sounded at 6:09.
As flames spread to the building's attic, Bucossi said a third alarm was struck at 6:16.
By 7, a fourth alarm was sounded and fire crews from Putney, Dummerston, and Guilford, as well as mutual aid responders from Greenfield, Mass., and Keene, Hinsdale and Spofford, N.H., joined Brattleboro in the firefighting effort.
Crews from Bernardston and Northfield, Mass., Wilmington, and Bellows Falls provided back-up coverage at the Brattleboro stations.
Bucossi said the majority of the fire was knocked down by 7:30 a.m., and the fire was brought under control at 8:33 a.m.
He said the bulk of the fire damage was confined to four apartments at the end of the building, where the fire appears to have started. Other apartments nearest the fire sustained moderate smoke and heat damage, while the apartments furthest away saw little or no damage.
The building is owned by the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust.
As was the case with the Brooks House fire in 2011, a multi-pronged town response assisted firefighters, with personnel from the water and utilities division of the Department of Public Works, as well as the Town Manager's office.
Inspectors from the state Division of Fire Safety were also at the fire scene from the start, as were Green Mountain Power, Rescue Inc., and Brattleboro Police.
By mid-day Saturday, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers had opened a temporary shelter in the basement of the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street.
By Monday, the Red Cross reported that the displaced tenants either were staying with friends or relatives, or provided with alternate short-term housing.
Aid effort begins
Love it Twice, a children's clothing consignment store at 464 Putney Road, has begun a collection for the families displaced by the fire.
According to its Facebook page, customers can donate cash or store credit toward the fund. The shop says it has a need for children's clothing, from toddlers on up.
Those wishing to help can call the store at 802-490-2160 or stop in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The American Red Cross New Hampshire and Vermont Region is also accepting donations for fire victims at redcross.org/local/nhvt.
Individuals have been appealing for help for families displaced by the fire at GoFundMe, an online crowdfunding site:
• The Braggs family: www.gofundme.com/braggsrebuilding.
• Maria Vargas and family: www.gofundme.com/vm959adw and www.gofundme.com/n695mpak.
• The Schoolcraft family: gofundme.com/rn939rrw and gofundme.com/helpschoolcrafts.
• General fire relief: gofundme.com/9595uhuk.