Photo by Chris Lopez
Five marijuana greenhouses at Loudpack Farms on Cherry Avenue in Greenfield were damaged in a fire July 23.
GREENFIELD — A rapid-spreading fire that destroyed multiple greenhouses July 23 at Loudpack Farms in Greenfield was caused by a cigarette, officials said Tuesday.
According to Jeff Terpstra, interim fire chief with the Greenfield Fire Department, video surveillance showed a tobacco cigarette being discarded just minutes before the blaze began at about 4:20 p.m. at the cannabis facility on Cherry Avenue.
Terpstra said the cigarette ended up in some packing materials and pallets that caught fire in between the greenhouses.
“We found no evidence whatsoever of any criminal act or arson,” he said, adding that it was accidental.
The flames quickly spread through the greenhouses due to the area’s strong winds and the absence of sprinklers inside the structures, sending more than 100 employees running to safety.
No one was injured in the incident, but five of the facility’s eight greenhouses were destroyed.
The fire caused an estimated $15 million in damages at the facility, which was insured.
Loudpack Farms, the city’s largest employer, is a manufacturer and cultivator of marijuana products and medical cannabis infused products. The 50,000-square-foot facility at 900 Cherry Ave. consists of a large manufacturing lab, offices and the light-deprivation greenhouses.
Nearly 300 people are employed at the facility, the majority of whom are local residents.
