Fire destroys old mill buildings in Winchendon

WINCHENDON – Six former mill buildings on Lincoln Avenue were destroyed in a three-alarm fire reported early Friday morning.

The wooden buildings at 283 Lincoln Ave. Ext. were once part of the White Mountain Freezer factory, which closed its doors four decades ago. Winchendon Fire said the fire was reported at 3:30 a.m. on Friday. No injuries were reported.

The fire started on the eastern side of Lincoln Avenue, then spread to a couple of mill buildings on the other side of the dead end street, according to Winchendon Fire. Power to nearby homes was cut and crews from National Grid responded after fire burned through power lines.

Winchendon resident Tyler Morgan, who lives across the street from the scene of the fire, said he awoke to the sound of loud banging on the door of his home on Brown Venue, as first responders told people to evacuate.

“There were no lights on, no electricity in the house,” Morgan said. “I came running down my stairs and opened my door and I could just see the whole neighborhood lit up.”

Morgan, his tenants and a number of neighbors were able to safely flee the fire, though their homes did suffer damage from the heat of the flames.

“We were lucky in a way,” said Morgan, “because of the way the wind was blowing. We avoided a lot more damage.”

He said the heat in front of his home left like “standing in front of a 400-degree oven with the door open.”

Mutual aid was provided by firefighting units from Gardner, Templeton, Ashburnham, Westminster, Royalston, and Jaffrey and Rindge, New Hampshire.

Gardner Fire EMS and the Ashburnham Drone Unit also responded. Richmond Fire Department provided coverage at the Winchendon station. The Department of Fire Services Rehabilitation Unit was also on scene to support the firefighters.

The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office and District 8 Fire Investigation Unit responded to the scene and are investigating the cause of the fire.