© 2026
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scam Advisory: We have been made aware that an online entity is posing as Joe Donahue to invite authors and other creatives onto our radio shows. The scammers then attempt to charge guests an appearance fee for exposure/publicity.
Please note: WAMC does not charge guests to appear on the station and any email about appearing on a WAMC program will come from a wamc.org email address.

Second Fatality Reported In Great Barrington Fire

The Great Barrington Town Seal
Town Of Great Barrington

A second person has died as a result of a structure fire in Great Barrington, Massachusetts Monday.

Great Barrington Fire Chief Charles Berger says his department was dispatched to the fire around 7:40 p.m.

“We arrived on scene, found fire venting from an apartment of a single story multifamily apartment complex," Berger told WAMC. "We were able to very quickly do a primary search of the apartment and knock down a fire within a couple of minutes. We had removed the couple that lived there. Unfortunately, they were unresponsive.”

Michael Romano, 68, was pronounced dead on the scene of the fire Monday night. Wednesday, the Berkshire District Attorney’s office, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Great Barrington Fire Department said his wife, Susan Romano, also died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. She was 67.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018 after working at stations including WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Berkshire County, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. You can reach him at jlandes@wamc.org with questions, tips, and/or feedback.
Related Content