Bennington, VT – October 9, 2025 — A heavy fire tore through a multi-story apartment building on Main Street Wednesday evening, sending heavy brown smoke into the air. One firefighter sustained minor injuries, and a family dog later succumbed to its injuries despite rescue efforts.

At approximately 5:28 p.m. on October 8th, the Town of Bennington Fire Department was dispatched to 167 Main Street after the dispatch center received multiple 911 calls reporting a working structure fire. The first arriving chief had heavy smoke pouring from the top floor of the building and heavy fire coming from the rear of the second and third floor porches. Command immediately conducted a 360-degree survey of the structure and confirmed everyone was out of the building but had reports of a dog still trapped inside.

The chief began to request mutual aid from the Bennington Rural Fire Department and Hoosick Falls Fire Department in New York for their truck company to the scene. The first arriving Bennington engine company established a water supply from a nearby hydrant and began attacking the fire from the rear of the building. As additional units arrived, firefighters advanced hose lines to the upper floors, encountering extreme heat and heavy smoke pushing down on them. Firefighters on the third floor had heavy fire in the attic area and they were unable to get access to.

Conditions due to the heavy fire began deteriorated quickly, forcing command to order all firefighters to evacuate the structure. Once outside, crews transitioned to a defensive operation, utilizing master streams, blitz fires, and the engines deck guns to knock down the heavy fire from multiple side of the building. During the operation, a firefighter was injured and immediately treated on scene by Bennington Rescue Squad before being transported to the hospital. The firefighter was later released with minor injuries.

Firefighters from surrounding communities were placed on standby to cover the Town of Bennington while firefighters worked on scene, as crews remained on scene well into the night extinguishing hotspots. The Bennington Police Department assisted fire investigators in examining the cause of the fire, which remains under investigation.

During overhaul operations in the early morning hours, firefighters located the missing dog inside the building. The dog was transported to a veterinary facility in Latham, New York, but due to the severity of its injuries, it had to be humanely euthanized.

All occupants of the apartment building escaped safely, but the structure sustained significant fire, smoke, and water damage. The fire chief of the Bennington Fire Department praised the coordinated efforts of all firefighters on scene for their hard work on scene and commitment to the community.