Fire at 123 Grow Child Center – Daycare in Gardner
The Gardner Fire Department responded to a fire this morning at the 123 Grow Child CenterDaycare at 838 West Broadway in Gardner MA. As shown in the photograph as of 8am, the location was ablaze and required a 2nd alarm.
Over 100 concerned residents and parents reached out on Facebook to express their concerns about the fire and love of the Daycare center.
Gardner Magazine will provide more details as they become available. The photo in our graphic shows the fire underway.
The fire is out. The building is heavily damaged and an employee of the City confirmed 2 things: The building is a total loss and there were no injuries of personnel or children. However, two Gardner Firefighters had minor injuries, but did not require transport to the hospital. We took the photos below about noon on January 29th:
Press Release from Gardner Fire Department:
PRESS RELEASE : On January 29, 2026, at 04:45 hours the Gardner Dispatch Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a building fire on West Broadway in the vicinity of the intersection with Airport Road. First arriving Fire Department units reported heavy fire in the rear attic area of a one story structure and struck a Second Alarm, bring recalled off-duty Gardner Firefighters and multiple mutual aid units to the scene. Firefighters initiated an interior attack, but heavy fire conditions forced them to exit the building and switch to a defensive exterior operation. Firefighters were hampered by extreme cold temperatures and deep snow conditions which caused equipment to freeze and ice to quickly form around the scene.
The address of the involved building is 838 West Broadway, occupied by the 1-2-3 Grow Child Care Center. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and is considered a total loss.
Mutual aid responded to the scene from the Towns of Westminster, Winchendon, Ashburnham, Hubbardston, and Templeton. Station coverage in Gardner was provided by the Athol, Fitchburg, and Leominster Fire Departments. Two Gardner Firefighters suffered minor injuries that did not require transport to the hospital.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire District 8 Fire Investigation Unit and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Gregory F. Lagoy – Fire Chief