Weekend Fire and Flooding at Brandywine Apartments Displace 13 Residents

Source: Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren

Amherst firefighters responded to a 911 call from a passerby at 2:01 a.m. Saturday, April 26, reporting a fire on the rear of Building 2 at Brandywine Apartments in North Amherst. Arriving crews found a fire on the wooden back porch of a third-floor apartment that had extended into the walls and ceiling.

The bulk of the fire was extinguished quickly, but crews spent approximately two hours removing walls and ceilings to access fire that had penetrated the walls. One apartment and its porch sustained moderate damage; the rest of the building was unaffected.

By 5 a.m., all other residents were allowed to return to their apartments. The three tenants of the fire-damaged unit, who were home at the time, were placed in alternative housing by Brandywine management and are not expected to be able to return for the remainder of the semester.

Investigators determined the fire started on the third-floor porch. The cause remains under investigation. There were no injuries.

Shortly after crews responded to the fire at Building 2, the Amherst Fire Department received a report of flooding in a separate structure, Building 11. A failure of the building’s main water service line sent water flooding into the four below-grade apartments. The Amherst Water Department responded and shut off water to the building.

The four flooded apartments are currently uninhabitable. The approximately 10 tenants were being assisted by University of Massachusetts officials in finding housing. Residents of the remaining eight apartments were allowed to return, though they have no water service.

The failed pipe is part of Brandywine’s private water system. Management is working to repair the water main over the weekend so that the roughly two dozen remaining tenants can stay in their homes.

The Amherst Fire Department was assisted at both incidents by the Amherst Police Department, the Amherst Water Department, and the town building inspector.