Apt. fire displaces dozens of seniors in Plymouth

PLYMOUTH — Two dozen people remained homeless Monday following a fire at an apartment building for senior citizens.

The fire occurred at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Plymouth Terrace Apartments, at 36 Adrians Way, close to the Hannaford supermarket.

According to the Plymouth Fire Department, the fire was contained to the kitchen area of a third-floor apartment. However, the fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, causing considerable water damage to the building’s 30 apartments, according to Plymouth Fire Capt. Jeremy Bonan.

No residents or firefighters were injured, Bonan said, and the Plymouth department was able to extinguish the fire without having to call for assistance from neighboring fire departments.

The damage made the three-story building temporarily uninhabitable. Seven residents were staying at a shelter that was set up at Plymouth Town Hall and another resident was living at Pemi Bridge House, Town Administrator Paul Freitas said Monday. The others were able to stay with family or friends, the Fire Department said.

Cleanup crews have been working at the building since Saturday afternoon, property manager Laurie Kass said. She hoped some of the residents would be able to go back to their apartments as early as today, adding, “We hope to get everyone returned very quickly.”

Kass said the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler system worked properly. The Fire Department credited the sprinkler system with confining the fire to one apartment.

“Had it not been for the rapid response of fire crews and the presence of automatic sprinklers, the fire damage would have been much more severe,” according to a Fire Department statement.

The shelter at Town Hall was expected to remain open at least through today, Freitas said. The shelter is being operated by the town’s emergency management staff and personnel from the Red Cross. Pemi Bridge House is providing the meals for those at the temporary shelter, he added.

Kass said that, in addition to the building’s 25 residents, “multiple pets,” including a large parrot, were also displaced.

Freitas explained that, because of concerns over mold, cleanup crews were being particularly careful to ensure that each apartment is completely dry before the occupant returns.

Bonan said the state Fire Marshal’s Office is working with the Fire Department on the investigation, but at this point the fire is not considered suspicious.