POWNAL, Vt. — A Pownal man apparently set fire to his home before killing himself on Wednesday night.

State police and the office of the chief medical examiner are investigating the death of Hans J. Schiermeyer, 53, of 519 State Line Drive. Schiermeyer's death is believed to have been the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound that occurred during the evening of June 2.

Schiermeyer's body and a firearm were found by firefighters battling the blaze at the single-family home off Route 7 near the Massachusetts border.

The fire was reported at about 9:30 p.m. and firefighters found the home completely engulfed, according to state police. Nobody else was discovered at Schiermeyer's home, which was completely destroyed by fire.

According to Det. Sgt. Robert Patten: "Shortly before the reported fire, Schiermeyer's wife contacted state police, seeking an escort to her home. Schiermeyer's wife conveyed that while returning from an out-of-country trip, Schiermeyer had threatened in a telephone conversation that he was going to set their house on fire and kill himself in the process."

An autopsy was to be conducted Thursday.

Pownal firefighters were reportedly aided by Bennington and Williamstown, Mass., fire departments.

Schiermeyer had been a pilot for the Steiner family in Williamstown at one time. He held an airline transport pilot license, the highest rated license for a pilot, and was given a second class medical rating in December.

A native of Rietberg, Germany, he had become an avid skydiver in recent years. On his profile on Skydivernetwork.com, he describes his relationship status as "It's complicated."

RICHMOND, Mass. — With Thursday's high winds, it wasn't a good day to do any outside burning but apparently, one Richmond resident didn't think so — with terrible results.

Police Officer Tom Grizzy said volunteer firefighters from Richmond, Hancock, West Stockbridge and Canaan, N.Y., responded to the 1 p.m. call after sparks from a controlled burn landed on an abandoned cottage on Richmond Shores.

The cottage was totally destroyed by the blaze. After the fire was knocked down, a backhoe was brought in to level the smoldering ruins. Police said action against the neighbor who decided burn yard waste in high winds may be pending.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — One of our readers in Great Barrington reports that the Fire Department responded to a brush fire along the railroad tracks on Taconic Avenue on Monday afternoon.

The call came in around 3:30 p.m. that a train passing south along the Housatonic Railroad tracks sparked a fire in the dry vegetation that spread. The train reportedly continued to Canaan, Conn., where it was contacted. Luckily, it did not spark more blazes as it moved south. 

It took firefighters only about 10 minutes to bring the blaze under control and they returned to headquarters around 4:15. Egremont Fire Department was put on standby for Great Barrington.

A fire on Wednesday destroyed a large single-family home on Pine Cobble Road in Williamstown that was still under construction.

The Williamstown Fire Department was aided by firefighters from Clarksburg, Lanesborough and Pownal and Stamford, Vt., as well as local and Adams Forest Wardens.

The fire was reported about 4:30 and witnesses described seeing black smoke above the hillside development from points in North Adams.  No one was apparently in the house at the time.

The weather was hot and breezy and the fire soon spread to the brush. Firefighters spent several hours battling the blaze.

Video taken by someone at the scene was forwarded to iBerkshires. We appreciate any further information. Another video can be found on our Facebook page.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A fire in a fryolator forced a brief evacuation of the Berkshire Mall on Friday morning and delayed its opening by 10 minutes.

The fire was contained to the McDonald's in the Food Court and is believed to have started in the fryolator's hood. The fire is under investigation and the fast-food purveyor is expected to be closed for at least a day or two during that time.

The fire occurred around 9 or 9:30 a.m.; the Food Court is open prior to many of the stores in the mall's interior. The mall itself opens at 10 a.m.

An hour or so after the fire was called in, two fire trucks were still parked at the entrance and the McDonald's and court area directly in front of it were cordoned off with yellow tape.

Heather Salerno, the mall's marketing director, said staff evacuated the building immediately and procedures set in place for emergencies "worked very well."

"Obviously there was a limited a staff at this time of the morning but they were able to get everyone cleared [from the building] very quickly," she said. "The Lanesborough Police and Lanesborough Fire Department did a fantastic job."

Store clerks, staff and customers were allowed back in at 10 minutes after 10, she said.