Gardner, Massachusetts fire destroys daycare; no one hurt
Firefighters battled freezing cold temperatures as flames destroyed a daycare center in Gardner, Massachusetts early Thursday morning.
It happened overnight at 123 Grow Child Center on West Broadway.
Gardner daycare center fire
Families that send their children to the facility said they are devastated to see the building is a total loss. But they are also grateful that no one was hurt because the fire happened early in the morning before the daycare center opened.
"It looks like in the videos and the pictures, it was right behind his classroom where it started," said Joslyn Grossi, whose 3-year-old son Bryson has attended the daycare since he was six months old. "So I'm just thankful that it happened in the night and not a few hours later when they were there."
Grossi said it's been an emotional time for parents.
"We're just all speechless, all hurt, all want to be there for each other because it wasn't just a building. It was their second home where we could trust these staff member with our children," Grossi said.
Frigid temperatures for firefighters
Fire Chief Gregory Lagoy said 911 calls started coming in just before 5 a.m. He said the frigid cold made for a challenging task.
"I had -11 on my car thermometer," Lagoy said. "So it's been very difficult. The firefighters are frozen. Luckily we didn't have any frozen hydrants or anything like that."
Firefighters from five nearby towns responded. Crews rotated in and out of the cold conditions.
"A couple slip and falls, a couple guys complaining about the cold. But nobody was transported or anything like that," Lagoy said.
Parents were shaken up and shocked to learn about the fire, but are now also scrambling to find child care and hoping that their beloved center will eventually come back.
"I would love if they would rebuild or find a new location in Gardner and keep it going for not just the staff, but for the families and the community," Grossi said.
Investigators with the state fire marshal's office have been on scene and they are looking into the cause of the fire.