Crews battle massive fire in Amherst

Crews Battle Massive Fire in Amherst

On Friday evening, several fire departments from across the Amherst area responded to a large blaze on Olympia Drive. The fire broke out at a construction site and rapidly spread to nearby buildings, causing severe damage and displacing residents.

According to reports, around 230 people—many of them University of Massachusetts Amherst students—were left without homes as a result of the incident.

“Olympia Place residents have immediate access to all dining commons at no cost, and an on-campus emergency resource center will be opened at noon today to centralize critical student needs including housing, medication, clothing, academic accommodations, counseling, and more. Student residents of Olympia Place will be contacted directly this morning with the location of the emergency resource center; we ask that only residents of Olympia Place use this space out of respect for the needs of those most directly affected.” — Emily Gest, UMass Amherst spokesperson

Emergency calls began around 8:00 p.m. Friday, reporting a fire at a building under construction. When firefighters reached the site, flames had already consumed the structure and spread quickly. Witnesses mentioned hearing several explosions and breaking glass, which were later confirmed to have come from fuel tanks stored at the construction site. The blasts were powerful enough to cause a construction crane to collapse.

Response and Impact

Multiple fire departments collaborated to bring the blaze under control.
No fatalities were immediately reported, but property loss was extensive.
The university quickly mobilized support for students displaced by the fire.

Author’s summary: A massive fire on Olympia Drive in Amherst displaced over 200 UMass students, triggering an extensive emergency and university-led relief effort.

Western Mass News — 2025-11-08

Crews Battle Massive Fire in Amherst

Response and Impact

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