Railroad Street between Eastern Avenue and Portland Street was closed

Railroad Street between Eastern Avenue and Portland Street was closed for more than an hour on Monday morning when firefighters discovered smoke on the second floor of the building housing Whirligig Brewing and Kingdom Taproom. Aerial trucks from St. Johnsbury and Littleton fire departments were on the scene,   as firefighters worked to confirm no fire danger. A box alarm connected to the building’s smoke detection system was triggered at 7:19 a.m. The first St. Johnsbury firefighters to enter the building found smoke on the second floor. “As soon as they opened an upstairs door, they had smoke in their faces,” said St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Brad Reed. Not immediately knowing the source of the smoke, Chief Reed decided to call for mutual aid. Lyndonville firefighters responded with an engine, and Littleton firefighters brought their aerial truck.  The road closure extended throughout the 8 a.m. commute. Chief Reed said the source of the smoke was tracked to an air handler for the building. He suspected the motor in the unit had burned out. The building is owned by MVZ Holdings LLC