Local departments respond to early morning, 5-alarm fire on Spring Lane in Taunton

TAUNTON — There was a 5-alarm fire on Saturday at 4 Spring Lane.

An old mill building that neighbors said had been used as a performance space for bands caught fire early Saturday morning, sending smoke billowing into the air, according to Taunton Daily Gazette's media partner, WCVB-TV.

The fire started around 4 a.m. Saturday inside the building on Spring Lane in Taunton. As the fire spread, the Taunton Fire Department was forced to evacuate the building, the department said in a Saturday afternoon press release.

Six hours later, smoke and flames were still billowing from the building.

Neighbors told WCVB's Josh Brogadir that people may have been living in the space, though it wasn’t officially housing.

Taunton Fire Lt. Jonathan Nunes told the Boston Globe that there were people living illegally inside the building. Fire officials told the Globe "many people were forced to flee."

There were no injuries reported as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Taunton Fire Department.

The Raynham Fire Department, assisting on the scene, told NECN that multiple buildings in the area were at risk.

Firefighters from Berkley Fire and Rescue also helped battle the blaze, sharing several photos on their Facebook page while battling what was then a 4-alarm fire. One of the photos showed the fire spreading to some nearby trees.

For most of the morning, the blaze was a 4-alarm, with a fifth alarm around 11:30 a.m.

Crews continued to put out the flames well into the morning.

Fire could be seen coming out of the roof over J&J Diecast Collectibles, as crews worked to keep it contained.

Around 12:30 p.m., they had the fire under control, but companies were expected to remain on the scene for several hours to wet down the building.

Sections of downtown were closed to traffic while fire crews battled the blaze.

The Berkley, Lakeville, Bridgewater, Raynham and Rehoboth Fire Departments provided mutual aid at the scene, and the North Attleboro, Somerset, Easton and Norton Fire Departments covered Taunton stations.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

— This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Crews respond to 5-alarm fire on Spring Lane in Taunton