A devastating fire gutted one of Berlin’s oldest businesses early Wednesday, The Adkins Company hardware store and lumber yard on Harrison Avenue. The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation. Nobody was hurt.
Fourth-generation owner Rick Holland lives around the fire from his business. He said the fire alarm woke him at 2:30 a.m. He arrived in a panic just eight minutes later to find the hardware store fully engulfed in flames.
“Once I was in the car and made the turn, I could see the orange glow and see the smoke. For once, it wasn’t a false alarm,” he said. “It’s pretty much a total loss.”
The fire originated near the sales counter, and the blaze eventually led to a collapse of the second floor and roof, according to the Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office.