Several Hadley businesses now lay in ruins after a fast-moving blaze destroyed a strip mall and injured one firefighter on Route 9 Sunday night.
The fire at the 206 Russell St. property was reported at 7:41 p.m., a Hadley fire department spokesman said. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, it took multiple departments and over 60 firefighters into early Morning morning to fight the heavy fire. The Pioneer Valley Red Cross was on site providing services to firefighters and bystanders, WWLP reported.
The firefighter who received a non-life-threatening injury was treated at a nearby hospital, the Gazette reported, and no other injuries were noted.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The strip mall contained two residential and 11 commercial units, according to the Gazette. Among those businesses totally demolished by the fire are Mohawk’s Revenge tattoo parlor, Banh Mi Saigon restaurant, Gregory’s Pastry Shop, Casablanca Halal Market, College Pro Computer, Mi Tierra restaurant and the International Food Market.
The Gazette reported that many affected business owners returned to the scene of their charred businesses Monday morning to see what could be salvaged, if anything, from the wreckage. Many owners lost everything but the shell of their businesses, the Gazette reported.
The section of Route 9 from Spruce Hill Road to East Street was closed to general traffic until late Monday afternoon, spawning detours for traffic and PVTA buses and causing delays, according to an email sent to the University of Massachusetts community by UMass University Relations on Monday morning. The email advised those accustomed to traveling to and from campus via Route 9 to “seek alternative routes … if possible.”
The Hadley fire department could not be reached after multiple attempts for additional comment.