Blizzard busters; Region takes it on the chin.

• Author: Spencer, Susan
• Position: Local

Byline: Susan Spencer

The two-day snowstorm pummeled Central and Eastern Massachusetts, closing schools and businesses as heavy snow and high winds prompted state officials to restrict travel across the Bay State.

Electricity and Internet connections were largely up and running Tuesday as many residents worked from home or spent the day shoveling or plowing out from near record-breaking snowfall.

Lunenburg saw three feet of snow, the highest accumulation in the state, as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Other Central Mass. communities were not far behind with Auburn getting 35 inches, Holden 32, and Fitchburg 30, according to unofficial NWS tallies as measured by trained weather spotters.

Worcester had 31 inches, two inches shy of the record single-storm snowfall total set on March. 31 -- April 1, 1997.

The magnitude of the snow was predicted to cause widespread power outages in the state, but fewer than five were reported in Central Mass., in Lancaster and Spencer. Most were on Nantucket where 12,756 -- the entire island -- lost power.

"In general, Central Massachusetts and most of the state, outside of Nantucket, have largely escaped outages,'' said National Grid spokeswoman Danielle Horn.

She said the better-than-predicted outcome could, in part, be attributed to the snow being light and dry, except on the coast, with lower winds than forecast.

The storm complicated some emergencies.

Worcester firefighters called to a multifamily home at 20 Alvarado Ave. at 2:04 a.m. had to battle ice as well as flames because wind and low temperatures froze mist rising from water hoses.

"It's just like the snow guns at Wachusett Mountain,'' said Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell. "It turns to ice.''

The blaze, which was reported by an off-duty fire captain who lives nearby, displaced seven residents and sent four of them to UMass Memorial Medical Center for treatment, said Deputy Chief Gardell.

A fire official had no information Wednesday night on the conditions of the people injured.

The fire was brought under control in about an hour, but the building sustained extensive damage and was deemed uninhabitable in a loss estimated at $200,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

While the worst may have not been as bad as some models indicated, Gov. Charles D. Baker Jr. advised residents at a noon press conference to proceed with caution once life starts to return to normal on Wednesday.

"I certainly think it...