REGIONAL DIGEST.

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COLUMN: REGIONAL DIGEST

Camp of homeless people burns

FITCHBURG --An encampment for homeless people went up in flames early yesterday morning.

Both police and fire units went to the encampment, which was under the Rollstone Street Bridge. Deputy Fire Chief Robert Haley said the Fire Department received a call at 3:40 a.m. Engine 3 from the central fire station responded and within 10 minutes the fire was extinguished.

Deputy Chief Haley said none of the camp's users were there when the public safety workers arrived.

"There was an extensive search of the area to make sure there were no victims of the fire," he said.

Because of fire in bedding materials, such as mattresses, thick smoke filled the air. He said it took about 1,000 gallons of water to put the fire out.

No cause has been determined as of yet, although the report indicated the origin of the fire was not suspect.

Closing of bridge postponed

CLINTON - The closing of the Chestnut Street Bridge has been postponed a week because of wet weather.

Sgt. Kevin M. West said yesterday the bridge, at Routes 70 and 62, will be closed to all traffic from 6 a.m. Aug. 15 through the morning of Aug. 18. It was scheduled to be closed from Friday

through Monday. Traffic will be rerouted over Union, Chestnut, Water, Harris, Chase, Oak, and Cameron streets. Detour signs will be in place.

The closing is necessary to put in a new concrete top that is expected to prolong the use of the new bridge as much as 50 years, officials said. The bridge has been under construction for nearly two years.

Sgt. West said that besides rain and thunderstorms predicted for this weekend, there have been some recent construction delays because of weather and vacations.

Reward offered in tire-slashing case

GARDNER - Salvadore Chevrolet is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the vandals who slashed more than 65 tires this past weekend.

Police are working to identify the two suspects, caught on a surveillance camera entering the property of Enterprise Car Rental at Timpany Boulevard and Conant Street. Enterprise is about a half-mile from Salvadore Chevrolet.

The vandals caused as much as $20,000 worth of damage to the cars in Salvadore's lot, and also slashed tires of cars parked on Conant Street.

Anyone...