Fire Crews Draw from Lake Williams, Forced to Evacuate West Main Blaze

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., Monday, of the ordered all firefighters to evacuate 271 West Main St., where they had been battling a six alarm fire since mid-morning.

The fire that broke out on one of the top floors of the 40 (approximately) unit Lake Williams Condominiums, caused the building to become unsafe for firefighters. Crews remained on top of the situation, however, from outside the facility, with tower trucks from several area towns raining water down onto the blaze. 

Shortly after 10 a.m., the roof began to collapse giving crews an exposed view of the fire, allowing them to cut it down more effectively. 

Residents of the building watched from the sidewalk across the street, and did not have insight as to the cause of the fire. Many escaped with just the clothes on their back, but both police and residents said they were unaware of any serious injuries.

""I don't know what caused the fire, I just know that I had to rush to get some clothes on and get out of the building," said one resident. 

Scanner traffic indicated that the Red Cross and other aid groups would be setting up a temporary shelter at the , 250 Main St. 

Power to the area was cut by late morning, causing the closure of and several area businesses. 

More than six area fire departments came to the aid of Marlborough crews, and several were setting up a water supply sourced in Lake Williams. According to scanner traffic, this was due to a loss of water pressure from area hydrants. 

Fire officials were unavailable for comment as of this post, but check back with Marlborough Patch for information pertaining to the cause and status of the fire.

Traffic in the area was completely diverted away from the Route 20, Williams Street intersection. Fire crews and police are expected to be on the scene throughout much of the day.

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