An early morning fire forced the evacuation of about 18 people from a boarding house on Union Street.
The fire started in a back common kitchen on the top floor about 2 a.m. and spread up through a vent. It took almost two hours to ensure it was it completely out.
Fire Chief Stephen Meranti said the department was familiar with the building and has responded to burnt food in the past.
"This time it extend up into the exhaust fan got up into the area above the ceiling, it followed the ductwork," he said. "It was burning on top of the stove — that set the sprinklers off — but it was also burning above the ceiling."
Some occupants of the building at 174-178 Union St. were coming out as firefighters were going in and they assisted the rest in exiting the building. More than a dozen people, some wrapped in blankets passed out by Northern Berkshire EMS, watched firefighters tackled the stubborn blaze.