Fall River firefighters respond to fire at Brightman Street building

Linda Murphy, The Herald News
Updated ·1 min read

FALL RIVER — City fire crews responded to the scene of a fire Tuesday at a building at 277 Brightman St. that started about 5:30 p.m.

According to a recent Herald News story, the building was once the home of the Royal Theater, a vaudeville theater and movie house. The building is apparently empty now, according to local officials.

According to Herald News archives, the Royal was built in 1896, and was initially known as the Pastime Theater. During the silent film days, movies were shown with live piano accompaniment — and before then, live vaudeville shows. It was known for its Saturday matinees and "ladies' night" dish giveaways, as mentioned in a January Herald News article about the former theater being listed for sale.

At 6:55 p.m., fire crews reported via scanner the roof of the building collapsed and heavy smoke from the blaze is reported around the area.

Fire departments from area towns are assisting with mutual aid, according to scanner reports.

At about 8:17 p.m. a fire person on scene requested the department contact Red Cross.

Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.
Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.

A local official said the building was also a former casket company.

Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.
Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.
Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.
Fall River Fire Department crews respond to a fire in an abandoned building at 277 Brightman St. Tuesday evening.
The heavy smoke from the fire at 277 Brightman St. blanketed the area Tuesday evening.
The heavy smoke from the fire at 277 Brightman St. blanketed the area Tuesday evening.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River fire crews battle blaze at 277 Brightman St.