Former Fall River casket company destroyed in large fire

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — A large fire broke out at a former theatre and casket company in Fall River on Tuesday evening.

Fall River District Fire Chief Scott Flannery said when crews arrived at the scene on Brightman Street, there was fire on all three floors of the building. He made the decision to keep his men out of the building, saying that the structure is a “known hazard.”

Flannery further stated that their fire department has prepared for the building to catch fire at least twice in drills, something he said helped the response stay controlled.

He said firefighters made their rounds to the building earlier in the summer to scope out the inside in the case it did ever burn down.

Authorities did not immediately know if there was anyone inside the abandoned building, saying homeless people are known to frequent it, but no firefighters were injured.

The home next to the abandoned casket company had some water damage.

Aid was provided by firefighters from Tiverton, Swansea, and Somerset.

The building will be demolished at a later date.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.