RUSSELL, Mass. (WWLP) – Multiple fire departments assisted in battling a burning mill of what once was Strathmore Paper Mill in Russell late Friday night.
Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Eric Bishop told 22News, fire departments who assisted on Valley View Avenue were working on a rotating basis. Bishop said Westfield fire crews were there for about four hours and wouldn’t be surprised if members from other departments are still working in the area Saturday morning.
More than 100 firefighters worked on the fire. Bishop added at this time no injuries have been reported.
State police in Russell told 22News the mill fire started around 9:15 p.m. Luckily, the mill building was empty and multiple departments including Blandford, Becket, Westfield, and Montgomery were able to help.
On Saturday, 22News spoke with the chief of the Russell Fire Department, Niles LaValley, who provided an update on the response.
“We showed up at about 8:30 p.m., fire coming out of the mill, we’ve been working operations since then, got it under control,” LaValley said.
22News will give you the latest as more information is released.
