Bernat Mill Fire Uxbridge, MA

The Fire at Bernat Mills

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"Michelle, I wanted to write to tell how beautiful I thought your photography was (and still is) for the mill fire video you promoted in the ICE newsletter. They were amazing shots. I especially liked how you photographed the mill before the fire. Really gorgeous images!" Kate Salmon-Robinson

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On July 21, 2007, Bernat Mills, formerly Uxbridge Worsted, suffered massive damage. About 10:00 a.m., my friend Laurie and I were just getting on Rt. 146 heading to Rhode Island, when we saw the huge smoke cloud. A phone call confirmed it was the mill. Quickly reversing our direction and heading into Uxbridge, Laurie directed me to a less familiar way in, the railroad tracks!

The storage buildings seen here show the power and magnitude of this fire! It was gushing and billowing hundreds of feet into the air. As we got closer, it strangely felt like it was raining even though it was a beautiful day. Feeling rather naive, I realized it was the smoke debris and water being shot into the fire and carried by the wind to us. My car, which was parked a long way from the fire, had a coating of smoke scum on it. This smoke must have soiled every inch of property, windows and cars on a lot of Uxbridge! It settled down on the the Blackstone River like oil scum.

The first vehicles we spotted were support vehicles serving water, food and health services to the many fighting this fire. Getting closer, we walked into a casserole of yellow spaghetti. Yellow hoses came in from many directions, even pumping from the Blackstone River. They were hubbed, rolled, flattened, stretched, neatly lined up, rolled up, waiting and in use. This operation was well-organized, many towns working together. Steve Zaloga, an Upton firefighter, confirmed to me that fire chiefs have plans in place for large old mills in their towns. Not only do they check them every year for code conformance, but they communicate plans with other town fire departments.

The fire was so massive, crews were forced to pump water from the Blackstone River to douse the flames -- leaving Uxbridge's water supply at a critically low level. An outdoor water ban was issued for the next seven days to help deal with the problem.

The fire started in the early hours. We arrived at 10:00a.m. We were able to cautiously but fairly freely photograph this fire, and we had the opportunity to talk to firefighters. At one point, while standing directly across from the main entrance, we were told that we were in the 'fall zone' and it would be 'wise' for us to move back. This is when I felt I had been given an opportunity to somehow give back to all the victims of this fire. To document and share my experiences. The show created is part of that sharing. I'm also inviting anyone reading this story to share their memories, thoughts, feelings.

There was a sense of 'getting the job done' but also of quiet contemplation and conversations between firefighters, support staff and others.

Many remember the history of the mill built in the 1820s. During World War Two, it made fabric for Army uniforms. Most recently, it hosted a variety of businesses, including wood shops and art galleries. "I knew it as Uxbridge Worsted. I remember that all the mills were making olive colored cloth for the military, one color fits all. Funny how some things stick in your mind forever. That mill always seemed up-scale from the others, more modern. It was on a great location, just after the railroad bridge in the center of town. They had a rail siding, that was big time.. I believe my mom and sister worked there for a time." Arthur LeQuesne, age 76.

Others remember it in recent history. Many of the 60 plus shops, including wood shops, art galleries and photography studios, were enjoying success. Laurie Church had just bought an antique table from the Bernat Mills Antiques the week before the fire. She sadly commented that she had her eye on several other pieces that are now gone forever. Firefighter Steve Zaloga and his wife often enjoyed 'antiquing' at the Bernat Shops. Eric had a photography studio at the mill. He lost everything and local Photography groups are focusing on helping this fellow photographer get back on his feet. The community is rallying in many ways.

Amazingly, the original part of the 400,000 square foot complex was not destroyed. I asked Steve Zaloga exactly what the firefighters were doing on top of the roof. He explained they were digging trenchcuts in the roof so, when the fire was spotted through the cut, they could load it with fire. He attributes that to saving the original part of the building.

Another Upton firefighter, Phil McClure, compared the fire to the Fisherville Mill fire in Grafton in 1999. Phil recalls the Bernat fire as the "biggest with manpower but slower burning than Prest Wheel. That fire was fast burning. Phil was one of the first there and said the fire 'moved 300 ft in 6 minutes, 5 floors worth. It burned 2 trucks and was much more dangerous than Bernat. It was a good thing they closed the nearby bridge as the firetrucks would have gotten burn in the '6 minute flash'.

Phil McClure

When he arrived at 5:30 a..m, the Bernat main door was burning and they called everyone out. "When you are at a fire you have your job, you size-up the situation and you continue until the job is done. You read the fire, read the smoke, is it lazy or pushing out. This fire was so big and so long that you stopped being the firefighter and became a secondary victim. It was really sad, then you refocus and get back to the job. You read it and you do it."

For Jay Smith, Northbridge Fire Department, it was unnerving. Jay, and two other firefighters, went into the second floor window, into a wood shop, above the loading dock. Armed with hose and oxygen, they made their way through the smoke, looking for fire. "The smoke was thick", Jay said, "but you could see light at the top. After about 10 minutes, we were called out. The way out was unnerving because the smoke had gotten thick enough that visibility was gone. I felt my way out, on hands and knees, recognizing some of the wood shop pieces waiting to be consumed with fire". He admitted feeling anxiety and then relief when the window came back into view.

Phil had made good friends with a few of the owners while doing interior work in the building. He enjoyed the sense of community which, he said, was more like a big family. During the course of the day, Phil would go to the staging area where the owners gathered. This was across Rt. 16 in the parking lot. Paul had a workshop, his wife, Shirley, had a quilt shop on the first floor. Phil would go and update them, tell them what’s going on with their two shops as far as he could tell.

Phoenix rising from the ashes? Is there going to be a happy ending to this destructive event? Communities come together, fundraising activities happen, people help as much as they can, but will it be enough for Uxbridge to recoup the loss of this revenue-generating mill? How about all the shops that didn't have insurance? Those that put their entire life savings into this dream? What of them? Will the rumor of the Linwood Mill being their second home really happen? The Shops of Bernat Mills proves that this is an excellent use of a mill, to create a community, a big family of sorts, a neighborhood of local shops under one roof. Because it has been proven, I do believe Bernat Mills will rise, survive and thrive, as Phoenix rose from the ashes!

I personally invite anyone who has thoughts about the fire to send them to me at mfp@mfontaineproductions.com. Simply put ‘Mill Fire’ in the subject line. A wonderful thing about the Internet is that articles are really living documents. My goal is to compile interesting personal comments and details about the life of this Uxbridge Mill, past and present. So, as long as they come in, the article will evolve and become a more viable piece of Uxbridge history. And now, I hope you the following story brings back the feelings of the day.

If you have an event you'd like me to photograph, please don't hesitate to contact me! I love putting people,pets and just about any event 'into focus!'

Michelle