Town Issues FAQ on Olympia Drive Fire

Source: amherstma.gov

The following FAQ was released on Friday afternoon, November 14, 2025

Olympia Drive Fire
Today marks one week since the worst fire in Amherst’s recent history. 

Words cannot express the appreciation, admiration, and gratitude for our firefighters’ and first responders’ tremendous service last weekend. No reported injuries among the residents nor among our staff are a tribute to their priorities and training. 

As of Wednesday, November 12, there have been no additional fire flare ups, and the site is back under the control of the property owner. Please continue to stay clear of the area for your safety and security.  

At this moment we would like to remind all community members to please sign up for the Town’s Emergency Alerts. Subscribe here or text the word “Amherst” to 38276 from your mobile device. 

As we move forward, we want to address the concerns and questions many residents are currently facing. We understand that this incident has raised a lot of emotions and uncertainty, and there are also some misconceptions circulating. Our goal is to provide clear, accurate information to help everyone understand what happened, the steps being taken to ensure safety, and how you can help those impacted. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we are hearing. If you have additional questions, please send them to info@amherstma.gov and we will do our best to add them to this list.  

FAQ

1. What happened? 
At approximately 8:18 pm on Friday, November 7, reports of a fire at a construction site on Olympia Drive were received by our Emergency Communications Center (911). Upon arrival, first responders from the Amherst Police Department (APD) and Amherst Fire Department (AFD) confirmed a four-story structure under construction located at 47 Olympia Drive was fully engulfed in flames. AFD immediately began fire suppression operations while APD conducted a systematic evacuation of residents at the adjacent occupied apartment building. AFD sounded a second and third alarm for mutual aid. During the fire there were multiple explosions, likely from fuel sources on the construction site, and there was at least one construction crane that collapsed. In time the fire spread to the adjacent apartment building at 57 Olympia Drive. Firefighters initially attempted to combat the fire from within the building, but the structure quickly became unstable. With floors beginning to collapse, conditions were too dangerous for anyone to enter, including firefighters. The fire burned through the night from Friday into Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, the Fire Chief determined that the only way to effectively control the fire was to demolish the existing structure at 57 Olympia Drive. The demolition took place on Saturday and Sunday. As of 5:00 pm on Sunday, the fire was contained and AFD remained on site through Monday, November 10 to monitor the site and extinguish any remaining hot spots. Since Wednesday, November 12, there have been no additional fire flare ups, and the site is back under the control of the property owner. 

2. What caused the fire? 
The State Police’s Fire Investigation Unit is working with the State Fire Marshall’s Office to conduct a full investigation to determine the cause of the fire and any contributing factors. This process will be guided by facts, not speculation, and we ask the public to do the same. An update will be posted when available. 

3. What was the status of the construction at #47 Olympia Drive? 
To our knowledge, the construction at #47 Olympia Drive was progressing as expected, held all required permits, and followed all building codes and fire standards. The building plans show the final building would be a full wood structure, 5 story apartment building with 68 units. The building would be over 100,000 sq ft and 56’11” tall. Permits were successfully issued for all completed steps of the project, and other permits were in process for the next phase. A permit had also been issued for diesel fuel storage, which stayed intact during the fire. The construction site had an active NFPA 241 Construction Fire Safety Plan that was being followed based on AFD’s recent inspections. Once the building reached 40 feet, the plan was for the builders to meet with AFD to implement additional fire protection measures as required by the NFPA 241.  

4. Was there a sprinkler system at #57 Olympia Drive and did it work? 
Yes, there were sprinklers in the building at #57 Olympia Drive which were activated successfully during the fire. However, these sprinklers are designed to suppress small apartment fires and provide time for residents to evacuate the building. They are not capable of addressing a fire of this magnitude or intensity. Indoor sprinkler systems are also not effective at suppressing fires that began outside of the building.  

5. Why did the apartment building at #57 Olympia Drive need to be demolished? 
The apartment building at #57 Olympia Drive was demolished during firefighting efforts. Firefighters initially attempted to combat the fire from within the apartment building, but the structure quickly became unstable. With floors beginning to collapse, conditions were too dangerous for anyone to enter, including firefighters. On Saturday afternoon, the Fire Chief determined that the only way to effectively control the fire was to demolish the existing structure. The property owner, Archipelago Investments, immediately complied and arranged for demolition to begin. Associated Building Wreckers of Springfield arrived on scene less than 2 hours after the order. The demolition took place on Saturday and Sunday while AFD and mutual aid partners continued fire suppression operations. 

6. Was there an issue with water during firefighting efforts? 
During this fire, we utilized multiple sources of water to support firefighting efforts including: 3 hydrants on Olympia Drive, 1 hydrant on Village Park Road, and tankers from mutual aid partners. At the site of the fire on Olympia Drive, water did become an issue but did not ultimately contribute to the loss of the building at #57 Olympia Drive. The initial press release sent out by AFD mentioned that firefighting efforts were hampered by poor water pressure in the area. While our water supply itself was sufficient, the existing water piping in that location could not meet the high demand needed during this intense fire.  

Due to the high water usage from firefighting efforts, our water tanks depleted quicker than normal and required more time than normal for our water treatment system to recover. This led to the Town’s request for residents to limit their water usage. We used an estimated 2.5 million gallons of water for firefighting efforts which the entire Town uses on a normal day. Water levels returned to normal levels Monday night. While the Connecticut River Valley is in a Level 1 Mild Drought, the Town of Amherst’s water supply remains stable and was not impacted by the drought situation.  

7. Why was a State of Emergency declared? 
There are two major reasons why the State of Emergency was declared. 1) We needed to elevate the urgent request for residents to stop all non-essential water use to help conserve water for firefighting operations. 2) This ensured the Town has access to any emergency State or Federal funds that may be available to the displaced residents, property owner, Town, and mutual aid partners.  

8. Who responded to the fire? 
Amherst firefighters were first on scene to fight the fire and almost all Amherst firefighters – including part-time call firefighters and student firefighters – responded to the call and worked around the clock. Two additional alarms were called to make it a three-alarm fire. This brings additional units from neighboring communities. A Task Force was requested from the State fire mobilization network to send additional units to the fire scene to relieve the crews. A total of 32 mutual aid partners from Hampshire, Hamden, Franklin, Worcester, and Berkshire counties showed up to support Amherst in fighting this fire. We are grateful to each fire department and community who contributed to this massive response — an effort no single community in our region could undertake alone. 

9. Who was impacted by the fire and how are the displaced residents being supported? 
There have been no reported injuries or loss of human life. Efforts were made to rescue pets; while some were successfully saved, we deeply regret that others were lost during the rescue efforts. There are 236 residents who were displaced by the fire. 230 of these residents are students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). UMass has actively been supporting the affected students with housing, legal assistance, basic needs, academic accommodations, counseling, and financial assistance. An on-campus Emergency Resource Center, staffed by UMass and the Red Cross, was set up on Saturday, November 8 through Thursday, November 13. All affected students have also been receiving direct, detailed guidance from UMass’s Dean of Students Office. Find more information about UMass’s response including statements, updates, and resource links at: www.umass.edu/news/olympia-drive-fire-response   

10. How can we help the displaced residents? 
UMass has organized multiple ways to donate to help the displaced residents.  

• Food donations should be brought to one of the November Food Drive bins located around campus.
• New underwear, socks, and toiletries can be dropped off at UMass Downtown located at 108 N. Pleasant St or the New2U store located on campus in Room 205 of the Hampden Commons in the Southwest Residential Area. 
• Other material goods, including clothing, kitchenware, and school supplies should be brought to New2U.
• To help the displaced residents financially, please consider donating to UMass’s Student Care and Emergency Response Fund (SCERF), which helps support students facing emergency needs.