The mansion at 37 George Street in the Maple Hill neighborhood of Springfield was a stately revival style home that was built by a prominent architect who designed multiple buildings in this city and it stood for 129 years. From 1896 until 2025 when a solitary, unattended candle ignited a blaze that would literally burn the roof off this historic home.

Springfield fire fighters were awakened at 3:15 a.m. by Fire Alarm announcing the receipt of multiple 911 calls for a structure fire in the area of George and Dexter Streets. Crews called into Fire Alarm to advise that there was a sizeable header visible from blocks away and once on scene, found the three story, 2,000+ square foot single family home well involved in fire with heavy fire venting from the second floor Alpha/Bravo corner and extending up to the third floor and attic. The two occupants of the home had escaped the fire and were huddled under blanks outside when fire crews arrived so companies went to work with an interior attack to try and contain the damage were possible. Within 2 minutes of his arrival on scene, Car 1, Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi struck a second alarm bringing in most of the remaining city companies to the scene and requiring mutual aid station coverage. While the second alarm companies were responding and with fire now venting from the top floor, George St. command ordered all companies out of the building for a defensive attack. Crews then set up two ladder pipes and hand lines on all four sides of the building and spent several hours in defensive mode before the bulk of the fire was knocked down and a fire watch detail could be set up to monitor for hot spots. The home is destroyed and the occupants are being assisted by the Red Cross.