By Sara Withee
(July 22, 2026) – At the Select Board meeting, Ayer’s Fire Chief and Police Chief shared an update on last week’s six-alarm fire on Columbia Street, which displaced all the residents in the multi-family structure.
A few notes from their update:
Initial police response. The afternoon of the fire, the Police Chief said an officer arrived to find a woman in a second floor window looking for guidance on how to make a safe exit. With no access from the front or the sides, she was told to look for an exit out the back.
When she did this, there was a cliff and a fence blocking her path off the property, the Police Chief said. Working together, civilians and firefighters helped the woman over the fence and the rock ledge.
Site control. The Police Chief spoke about officers transitioning to site control once the firefighters arrived. They worked to control the areas around the intersection of Central Avenue, Main Street, Washington Street and he also mentioned Williams Street.
Cause of Fire. An investigation found careless disposal of smoking materials outside on the porch was the cause of the fire. Two Ayer Police detectives, the Ayer Fire Department’s fire prevention lieutenant and two detectives from the state fire marshal’s office worked on the investigation, the Fire Chief said.
No Firefighter Injuries. Last week, the Ayer Fire Department reported there were no injuries to people on its Facebook page. This week, the Fire Chief added that there were no injuries to firefighters. He noted the challenge of the weather that day.
Staffing. The Fire Chief said the community was fortunate because the Fire Department had two extra firefighters on duty in the station that day. The town has received state funds and used this to upstaff the dayshift from 8 am to 6 pm, he said. When the fire broke out, there was an EMS call out and four firefighters at the station, instead of two.
“Having four people, you can double the work. That was a real important factor in the fire,” the Fire Chief said.
After the meeting, the Ayer Fire Fighters IAFF Local #2544 shared a Facebook post, saying the fire demonstrates the importance of adequate staffing. The union shared a little more information, saying the department began staffing an “Impact Shift” in April, using an appropriation from the State Legislature which was given to support the town’s EMS services after the Nashoba Valley Medical Center closure.
State funding is scheduled to end after June 30, 2027 and is unlikely to be renewed, said Local #2544. Going forward, the union urged all Ayer residents to support the continuation of funding for the Impact Shift.
“The additional staffing has already proven valuable in day-to-day operations, and the impact it has on a major incident cannot be overstated,” Local #2544 wrote.
Mutual Aid. The Fire Chief said about 14 area fire departments responded with Mutual Aid to the fire. Both public safety chiefs noted that mutual aid and partnerships with area towns, “really are that important.”
Red Cross. The Fire Chief said the department responds to fire scenes and those impacted are connected to assistance resources. The department doesn’t get to see what happens next. In this case, he did have an opportunity to speak with one of the displaced residents about a document they needed. He was pleased to hear the person praise the Red Cross.
“They couldn’t thank them enough,” the Fire Chief said.