Westover ARB, Mass. -- Members of the 439th Airlift Wing fire department had a busy Fourth of July weekend. On Sunday, July 3rd, members of the Westover fire department battled a large fire in Holyoke alongside local fire crews.

The Westover fire department responded to an emergency call Sunday night, when large bales of paper caught fire in a storage yard at Sonoco Products paper mill in Holyoke. The 439th AW fire departments' foam truck helped extinguish the tightly backed bales, department officials said.

The smoke from the fire could be seen from I-391 North. However, no one was injured during the fire.

The following morning, Chicopee, Mass. Fire Chief Desmarais requested two Westover engines to serve as back-up coverage at Station 1, while the Chicopee fire department responded to a gas station fire. Westover sent engines 7 and 8, along with 8 firefighters. Although Westover did not
respond to any fire calls for the city of Chicopee during that time, they did respond to a medical call.