Court Action Possible After 3-alarm Fire at Edwards Movers

Local and state fire officials are discussing whether to take court action against a Brockton contractor who worked on a , resulting in a 3-alarm fire that had more a slew of fire departments responding.

Fire Chief says that local and state officials have agreed that the March 25 fire was accidental, and it was caused by sparks from a cutting torch igniting combustible material on the premises.  He said however, that the contractor that was operating the cutting torch, Hercules Building Wrecking Company of Brockton, had not pulled a permit to operate a cutting torch, which may have been required.   Both state and town officials may consider court action, he added.

“At this point, we’re looking into it,” Stone said Monday morning.

The owner of the wrecking company, Harold Monsini, said he pulled a demolition permit from the town, and that is all that he needed.  He said he’s been in business since 1963, and that he’s never been required to have a separate permit for that type of work.

Monsini said he had one worker on the premises that was operating the cutting torch two to three times a day, from outside the building. 

Stone said the situation was unusual, and that court action is something that they are discussing and not necessarily going to pursue.  He added that the owner of the building, Wayne Edwards, had pulled all the necessary permits that were necessary on his part for the building’s demolition.

The building, located on Lois Lane off of Route 138, was in the process of being razed after its roof partially collapsed from snow, on Feb. 3.  Edwards has refused to comment about either the roof collapse or the fire. 

The moving company stored both office and household furniture, and personal belongings including antiques, in the 25,000-square-foot warehouse. 

Stone said the building was full of wooden crates and other loose material inside, which were all destroyed.  He said the foundation may have been destroyed as well, so he is not sure whether Edwards can build on it again. 

Meanwhile, at least one of Edwards’s customers, Lisa Hernreich, said she is finding it difficult to pick up the pieces of her life, after the fire wiped out all her belongings. 

Hernreich, formerly of Tanglewood Estates, said she had stored almost all of her personal belongings in the warehouse late November, when she closed on her South Easton home.  She said that she was advised to keep her items there until they could be permanently moved to her new home in Colorado Springs, because it would be less expensive than moving them twice. Her closing was not until April 28, however, so she had been living without most of her things for about four months when the fire occurred. 

She said she is facing an undetermined financial loss, which she fears could be very substantial.  She is most devastated with losing items that helped to preserve memories, including heirlooms and photographs.

Hernreich has contacted friends and family members to try to get past pictures of her daughters, who are now 19 (twins) and 21, and of their grandparents.  She said a local photographer from Starlight Photography is sending some pictures taken professionally, and is also sending an extra yearbook to her daughter Jacki, who graduated in 2008, at no cost.

Though she is grateful for all the help she’s gotten, she said she still is grappling with many obstacles, including working with different insurance companies and businesses to try to recoup her losses.   

“I have no idea how this will play out and how long it will take,” she said.